Hopkinson Smith - or “Hoppy”, as everybody calls him - is, in the words of his pupils, his colleagues and all those who have anything to do with him, a person who simply inspires affection.
He is thoughtful and almost unimaginably kind. The warmth and integrity that he irradiates are the mark of a true artist.
As a musician, Smith is not only an outstanding and versatile performer of the many different repertories for the vihuela, Renaissance lute, Baroque guitar and especially Baroque lute, but has also created a school of performance in each of these instruments.
The following conversation took place in the shade of a poplar grove during the torrid Andalusian summer of Aracena where, in addition to giving his now traditional masterclasses, Hopkinson Smith left his audience spellbound by his latest performance programme, entitled “Darkness and Light in the Music of John Dowland”. |
|
|
|