What happens when you put one of Australia’s finest Verdi baritones together with a pair of up-and-coming young guitarists? You can find out when José Carbó unveils the fruits of his latest labours singing songs and arias arranged for voice and two guitars along with Andrew Blanch and Ariel Nurhadi. The José Carbó Trio’s debut recital goes by the name L’Heure Exquise (The Exquisite Hour), named for the famous chanson by French composer Reynaldo Hahn, and features music by, among others, Schubert, Fauré, Debussy and Verdi, re-imagined for their very own unusual and uniquely colourful musical forces.

José CarbóThe José Carbó Trio. Photos © Will Perez Ronderos

Andrew, how did you come to form a trio with Ariel and José?

In short, Canberra’s 2015 Voices in the Forest needed two guitarists to accompany José as well as tenor Diego Torre, on a couple of songs. We had a great time playing together and stayed in touch. By coincidence, a year or so later, all three of us wound up living in Sydney with schedules allowing some regular rehearsal time. José had a concept in his head for a classical recital program, and we...