An ideal disc for those looking for a cheap introduction to Segovia's peerless musicianship.
To this composite re-release of old recordings by Spanish guitar legend Andrés Segovia, Alto furnish brand-new notes by Peter Avis. After a biographical sketch of the guitarist, these take the listener composer by composer through the programme, making links where appropriate with Segovia, whose unique talent inspired so many.
Segovia's 'recital' here is essentially a collection of shortish mood pieces, slightly off the beaten track, generally Spanish in character, and light and airy on the whole, rather than flashily virtuosic: welcoming music to Segovian newcomer and old hand alike. Conveniently,Read more the pieces - which include both original guitar works and Segovia's trademark transcriptions - are arranged more or less in chronological order. They begin with Luys Milán (Luis de Milán) and end with two more substantial, stylish items from Manuel Ponce and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco for the more seasoned listener.
Sound quality overall is very good - so much so that the majority of these recordings can be considered the equal of some modern ones. Precise dates and venues are not given, but there is surprisingly little variation in quality across the programme - the 1954 pieces have some background hiss and less of a true stereo feel, but there is little cause for complaint. Credit is certainly due to Paul Arden-Taylor, who is responsible for the mastering for Alto.
From an orthographical point of view the layout is rather scrappy on the back cover, which has quite an array of fonts, omitted diacritics, misapplied bold print, the odd random capitalisation or wrong date. Most of these faults are rectified for the inner track-listing, however. The booklet notes only seldom stray: "harpicshord", for example, or Avis' assertion that Haydn wrote "literally hundreds of works" for the baryton.
At any rate, technical quality, a generous timing and Alto's budget retail price combine to make this an ideal disc for those looking for a cheap introduction to Segovia's peerless musicianship, or for anyone, for that matter, after a low-price CD of appealingly reflective, audience-friendly guitar pieces by some of the great composers for the instrument.
Españolito, for guitarby Gaspar Sanz Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Date of Recording: 1960-61 Length: 1 Minutes 23 Secs.
8.
Sonata for Harpsichord in G major, K 79/L 80by Domenico Scarlatti Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Period: Baroque Written: 18th Century Date of Recording: 1960-61 Length: 2 Minutes 43 Secs.
Romanza de los Piñosby Federico Moreno-Torroba Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Period: 20th Century Written: Spain Date of Recording: 1960-61 Length: 1 Minutes 49 Secs.
11.
Prelude (1925) for guitarby Manuel Ponce Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Period: Romantic Date of Recording: 1954 Length: 1 Minutes 48 Secs.
12.
Prelude allemande, for guitarby Manuel Ponce Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Period: Modern Date of Recording: 1954 Length: 2 Minutes 38 Secs.
Suite No. 12 in E minor: Passacailleby Robert de Visée Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Period: Baroque Date of Recording: 1960-61 Length: 3 Minutes 13 Secs.
Theme, Variations and Finale for Guitarby Manuel Ponce Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Period: 20th Century Written: 1926; Paris, France Date of Recording: 1954 Length: 7 Minutes 56 Secs.
Sonata, Op. 22: Rondoby Fernando Sor Performer:
Andrés Segovia (Guitar)
Period: Classical Written: Spain Date of Recording: 1960-61 Length: 4 Minutes 10 Secs.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 1 Customer Review )
The MaestroFebruary 25, 2014By R. Mason (Walnut Creek, CA)See All My Reviews"You have to have some Segovia ... much more formal in style than john Williams or Pepe Romero. A master collection of performances."Report Abuse