John Williams: The Seville Concert from the Royal Alcázar Palace [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Isaac Albeniz (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Domenico Scarlatti (Composer), Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), Yukihiro Yoko (Composer), Nikita Koshkin (Composer), Agustin Barrios-Mangore (Composer), Joaquin Rodrigo (Composer), Jose Buenagu (Conductor), Seville Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Seville Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Jose Buenagu
• Composer: Isaac Albeniz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Antonio Vivaldi, Yukihiro Yoko, et al.
• Audio CD (February 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0001ENYEO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,741 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #17 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Strings > Lute
  • #40 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Strings > Guitar

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a magnificent recital and then some, May 20, 2008

By 

Stuart Paine (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: John Williams: The Seville Concert from the Royal Alcázar Palace (Audio CD)

I've long been weary of complaints of Williams's supposed lack of expression. Ridiculous. Williams simply plays with great strength and evenness of tone and is stoic and dignified; he gets out of the way of the music and allows it to speak for itself and determine its own effect upon its audience.

The music on this disc is mostly Twentieth Century Spanish (Albeniz and Rodrigo) or Baroque (Bach, Scarlatti and Vivaldi), but at the center of the program are the "Sakura" variations by Yokoh and the "Usher Waltz" of Nikita Koshkin. The Japanese piece does a convincing job of mimicking the koto without actually doing anything that a koto would do. Williams nails it, as usual. The Koshkin starts tamely, becomes disoriented and works up into a tizzy. It's rather vulgar and some take offense at its nerve, but I like it. The Paraguayan Agustin Barrios's "Sueno en la Floresta", piggy-backing on the Spanish theme, is done here with a great deal of verve; its tremelo is both astonishingly smooth and propelled by its melody rather than its bass.

Another reviewer on this site claims that JW's performance of Albeniz's "Sevilla" is slow. What? Compared to whose? This is plenty quick.

All these SEVILLE CONCERT selections, with the sole exception of the "Usher Waltz", are available on previous Williams recordings. I'll admit to liking all of those earlier recordings a little better than these, but this IS a magnificent recital. In fact, one forgets that it's a live performance; Williams is so steady and sure that this whole thing sounds like a studio recording.

The CD closes with four bonus-track numbers from the 1981 LP, ECHOES OF SPAIN, which was comprised solely of transcriptions of piano music by the greatest of all of Spain's composers for that instrument - Isaac Albeniz. Williams's playing is brilliant - especially of "Torre Bermeja" and "Cadiz" which is just gorgeous. "Granada" is also striking; it's lyrical and lovely and (in JW's then-new and unusual arrangement with the altered fifth string tuning) sounds more natural than it ever has in the Tarrega/Segovia manner. Williams's "Cordoba" is always remarkable.

This is a beautiful album.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for the Soul, March 22, 2009

By 

Bobbi C. (Colorado) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: John Williams: The Seville Concert from the Royal Alcázar Palace (Audio CD)

I'd never heard this artist before but found his performance to be beautifully executed and seemless. I felt the music and believe it to be "food for the soul". I would pursue more of his music.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing about the online album notes, December 8, 2008

By 

John Bonavia (Needham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Williams: The Seville Concert from the Royal Alcázar Palace (Audio CD)

Like the majority view here, I adore this album and have little to add to those who have praised it. Just thought I would add a note of an oddity -and wonder if others have experienced it - Playing my copy through Real Player, I watched the "album information" notes that come up - and was amused to read that Williams was for many years "conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra" plus several allusions to his compositions for the screen...talk about mistaken identity!
Does anyone know how that works - is this a Sony problem, or a Real Networks player problem, or what? Not that it matters much, though I suppose if it happened with lesser-known names people could end up misinformed.