I was cleaning up my notes and stuff and found some 7-year old video recordings about me playing a couple of recitals:
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The World is round and once in a while I find myself playing the guitar in places where this instrument is not as popular as we know it. Everyone who has read the Tony Palmer’s book about Julian Bream (A Life on the Road) knows what I am talking about 
So we were in India with our band and although for some of us it was a kite-surf trip, we managed to play a few concerts and join some jam sessions. Not to mention playing guitars on the beach or at the bars. Sure thing is that many of the Indians saw the guitar for the first time. On the other hand, for me it was a chance to get to know the Indian sitar a bit. Previously I had just played the Persian sitar that is much different.
Besides playing we saw a lot of other performers and one of the evenings we spent listening to Prem Joshua that left quite a positive impression although they often play music that is not exactly their ‘mother tongue’.
Driving to concerts and back was done with bikes, very practical. Just a few pics from this trip and back to work teaching and playing the guitar in Europe. Btw, to blend in with locals we even cut a special moustache. But instead of ‘blending’ we were laughed at and people pointed us to others. See and laugh
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Maria and Reigo giving me the roses after the show
Yesterday we performed our dance program in a very-very suitable environment. It was as if the classic black box and a good sounding chamber hall had a child. In fact, it was a theatre hall built to an old bank. High ceiling, good stage, audience sitting around the stage. It was a very special show. On one hand, the organizers had done great job and the house was packed. On the other hand I had a birthday and Maria and Reigo did a special dance number to me in the end of the show, right after our encore. Snow was snowing outside and wind was blowing like hell. It is normal here. But to play Spanish music at the same time? Well, a big contrast indeed. Our program had many numbers from my Dance Album but the accent was on the Iberian culture this time. So we had Albeniz, Malats, Tarrega, Serrano and Turina on the program. I was playing the guitar, Maria Rääk was dancing and then we had Reigo Ahven on cajon and palmas.
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Leonora & Kristo in Warsaw 2011. Photo by Radoslaw Surowiec
Kristo Käo and Leonora Palu (flute) performed a couple of concerts in Warsaw (Poland) in the end of January 2011. One of the concerts took place at the State Etnographical Museum on 21st of Jan at 18:00.
The program included Estonian chamber music for flute and guitar (Rene Eespere, Peeter Vähi, Kuldar Sink) as well as other European composers’ music.
More information about the concert. The concert was free and was organized by the Estonian Embassy in Poland.
My bag was lost after the trip and it took almost a week for it to arrive to Tallinn. According to the stamps it had been to Frankfurt and even Tel Aviv (I don’t believe it really). Anyway, the live recording of our concert was in this bag and now as I got it, I will share it here. This was exactly the order of our program.
J.S. Bach. Sonata in C BWV 1033
Rene Eespere. Modus vivendi
Kuldar Sink. A Suite for Flute Solo
Joaquin Turina. Fandanguillo+Isaac Albeniz. Asturias
Peeter Vähi. Mystical Uniting
The acoustics were very dry in this hall and I used a secret amplifier. It was hidden behind the curtain, I had a wireless connection. In my solo piece you can hear that sometimes the sound goes more quiet. It is because I accidentally touched the connection while playing. Other pieces were fine, luckily.
Kristo’s most successful guitar method (a combination of the webschool at GuitarSchool.ee and the tutor book) is now available at Amazon.co.uk. See the direct link to the book.
Kristo’s CDs are now on sale on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com for US listeners. You can buy also mp3-s and single tracks. Keep supporting the classical guitar! Buy a CD by Kristo Kao from Amazon.
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My previous “serious” solo guitar CD “The Dance Album” reached today the guitar music store at www.guitarcds.net and got positive critics. So here it is:
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Too many guitar recordings are polished in studios for months and are nearly perfect in many ways – put together from hundreds of takes, resulting no mistakes, superb sound and so on. But sometimes I feel that the more you polish the greater is the chance to wash out some essential things in music – the human feelings and the soul of the music itself. Music on this disc is not the one that would fit to a concert hall. That’s my opinion and with this CD I’d like to thank the people who keep organizing live-music events and jam sessions. Keep going!
See more about the CD from Discography page.
Now on sale at CDBaby -
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Leonora Palu
Leonora Palu (flute), Indrek Palu (violin) and Kristo Käo (guitar) play a trio program at Pärnu Town Hall:
E.-S. Tüür. Graafiline leht
R. Eespere. Trivium
T. Takemitsu. Towards the Sea
A. Piazzolla. History of Tango
I. Palu. Urban Sounds
Live on 18th of August 2010 at 20:00
Heiki Mätlik, Julia Kahro-Reinman, Jorma Puusaag, Kristo Käo at Jõhvi concert hall
TGQ has a small tour around Estonian State Concert’s concert halls with the new program: Four concerts from Vivaldi’s L’Estro Armonico.
Live dates:
21st of July 2010 Jõhvi Concert Hall
22nd of July 2010 Pärnu Concert Hall
24th of July 2010 Tallinn Town Hall
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Kristo’s recent tweets- kristokao: Käib registreerumine Kitarrikooli kevadhooaja kursustele. Tule kohale, kaua sa ikka üksi jamad :)
- kristokao: Ain Varts ja tema Washburn, Andri Riidi artikkel ajakirja Kitarr esimesest numbrist. http://t.co/b5UzMXUp
- kristokao: Tln Raekoja platsil on päris õnnestunud nn õhtujuht: laulab venekeelseid tangosid ja kõlas ka Saaremaa valss:)