Customer Reviews

Art of Segovia

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This 2-CD set produced by Deutche Grammmophon and first released in 2002 is one set of the hundreds that could have been or the dozens that actually have been made and sold successfully all over the world. The exceptional feature of this particular collection is not, of course, the performer. Quite to the contrary, the miraculous consistency of stylings and performance are amongst the most remarkable aspects of the man who was, arguably, the 20th Centry's virtuoso supreme of the classical guitar, Andres Segovia (1893-1987.) Rather, it is the collection itself - the pieces chosen to be produced on this one set - this, to steal a German word, gestalt. While his style did not remain constant throughout his long life and career, by the time he had developed his most masterful skills that included doing his own arrangements - the era represented on this particular set (1951-1960) - his playing had become completely his own - unchallenged and unmatched by even other clearly great guitarists with whom he shared this era.

There are a total of 31 pieces played on these CDs and while a playlist would be an unnecessary use of space here, a list of the composers represented is not. More than the specific pieces Segovia gives us here, the range of composers chosen by the compilers and editors - with each piece rearranged by Segovia himself, tells us a great deal about his interests, talents and musical range. These composers include:
Isaac Albeniz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, John Dowland, Manuel de Falla, Cesar Franke, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Edvard Grieg, George Frederic Handel, Felix Mendelsohn, Frederico Moreno Torroba, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolo Paganini, Felipe Pedrell, Manuel Ponce, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Joaquin Rodrigo, Albert Roussel, Domenico Scarlatti, Alexander Scriabin, Segovia's own composition of Estudio sin luz, Fernando Sor, Francisco Tarrega, Joaquin Turina and Heitor Villa-Lobos. A truly magnificent and broad ranging collection held together by Segovia's unique personal style, approach and sound.

Largely self-taught, Andres Segovia did things with a guitar that others only imagined. He didn't just play Bach, for example - music written for an entirely different type of instrument (keyboards.) He went a step further, and recorder Bach's keyboard lessons written for his students (the Two and Three Part Inventions) and made them sound as if they had been written for the guitar! His artistry is evident to even the casual listener and in this collection, any devote of classical guitar and/or of Segovia as an individual artist, will not be disappointed.
Perfect listening for anytime. Hypnotic and, simply, unsurpassed. A necessary addition to any serious classical guitar collection.

The 24-bit remastering of these analog recordings from the 1950s and 60s is outstanding. Both disks are chock-full at almost 80 minutes each, and there are a good many songs you don't hear every day. Forty of the 41 tracks are solos, while a short Rodrigo orchestral movement concludes the set. Good liner notes are included. There is only a slight overlap between this 2-CD set and Deutsche Grammophon's 4-CD box set, "The Segovia Collection." I own over 40 classical guitar CDs, and this is easily among my favorites.

I don't know how to explain the joy I feel while listening to this album. I put on Segovia and I am taken away somewhere distant. I can hear his emotion through every note and I tend to remember fond memories of my childhood.
The recordings are amazing, yet left a little raw. You get the feeling like you snuck into a practice session and you get to hear him play as though he was playing just for himself. There is no audience. Just him and his guitar.
Segovia has touched my heart as well as my thoughts and I will treasure this album for ages to come.

I would rate the actual music as five stars and the recording quality as only one star. There is so much hiss and buzzing, that some of the quieter parts of the songs are actually drowned out by the loud hiss and buzzing. It is so distracting for me. I love the music, but I wish that I had not bought this CD. I know that the technology when it was recorded was not the same as today's standards, but I cant believe that the recording is so bad... and its on every song, although some are worse than others. I even put in another CD to make sure that it was not something wrong with my audio system. Its too bad because the guitar playing is beautiful.

Segovia lovers are going to like this one. A wonderful collection. A lot of pieces I never heard before. This collection is a real treasure.

The essence of Segovia is expressed here.

Art of Segovia
I purchased the CD's in May of 2011. The quality of the recording was very poor--it was impossible to hear the music in any satisfactory way. The 2CD's would "jam" and repeat a phrase over and over and over in multiple locations.
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When you need a little down pulsing, put on Mr. Segovia and just chill. This is genius at his best.

As a guitarist, I love Segovia's performances on this CD. All that enjoy music will find pleasure in this CD.

Listening to Andres Segovia again some 50 years after my first opportunity to hear him has been delightful. I have been surprised at the fine sound of the remastered recordings! I hope that some of the other outstanding recordings of decades gone by will be remastered as well!

This is an excellent CD to introduce yourself to Segovia or to have a nice collection of many of his better works. The Guitar is well recorded given the era in which it was recorded.

Highly recommended!