GUITARISTS John Williams and Gerald Garcia make a good double act. Not only because of their music-making but because of their joke-making. Although not a regular guitar duo (both are most accustomed to performing solo) they have known each other for more than two decades, playing together in chamber music ensembles, and are clearly good friends.
The two were in the territory briefly last weekend, just before the beginning of a tour in China that will take them to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Beijing before ending with a concert at the Cultural Centre next week on October 8.
When they arrived at a press conference on Saturday afternoon the two were in jocular spirits, having apparently taken almost an hour to reach City Hall from the Peninsula because of all the photographs they were taking.
Although Garcia was born in Hong Kong, he left when he was four, and has been back to give three performances in the intervening years. Williams gave a sold-out performance here during the opening celebrations for the Cultural Centre in 1989.
The programme next week will be largely Spanish and South American music, including some pieces by the Paraguayan composer Agustin Barrios which are featured on Williams' latest CD: The Great Paraguayan. The programme also includes some Chinese songs arranged for guitar by Garcia.
Garcia has performed in China before, but for Williams this will be the first time. They were both excited: according to Garcia there are 'about a million' guitarists on the mainland, 'and we'll be meeting most of them this week'. He said that classical guitar had become very popular in China over the past 10 years.