Customer Reviews

John Williams: The Seville Concert

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of my favorite CDs. It's got good variety and great playing by Williams. Starting with "Sevilla," the main theme is charming enough, but it's the slow and quieter middle section that's exquisite--turn up the volume on that part to get the full ethereal effect. The Bach and Scarlatti are played with typical clarity and coloring by Williams. The Vivaldi concerto with strings is lively, although I've heard a more moving version of the largo section before. The "Sakura" variations adds some cultural music variety while including several guitar techniques (chords, harmonics, tremolo, etc.). The diabolical "Usher Waltz" has Williams appropriately racking nerves with string twanging and raking of chords. Of course, no collection could be without "Leyenda;" but I prefer an earlier (1960s?) recording by Williams, which has more power and intensity. "Sueno en la Floresta" by Barrios is a real beauty, and Williams gets to demonstrate his outstanding tremolo among other superhuman guitar techniques. Finally, there's the adagio of Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez." Although I've only heard a few recordings of "Aranjuez" among the dozens out there, I am extremely content with listening to just this one. Williams plays with the proper intensity in the right places. I also like the strong performance from the accompanying orchestra. The video of this concert is a treat also. I can "see" why some critics say Williams' plays without much emotion: his whole body seems always rigid while playing. But that shouldn't matter because all the emotion is channeled into those powerful fingers to produce rich, pianoforte-like sounds. Anyway, I strongly recommend this CD for lovers of classical music and guitar.

An excellent cd. definitly my favourite recording of the Vivaldi, an excellent Scarlatti, and the best "fall of the house of Usher" (beside Koshkin's own) i've yet heard.

However - I have to say I prefer Fernandez' interpretation of the Violin prelude; while nowhere near as clean as Williams' Fernandez' reccording seems to me to be a better interpretation of violin music, more "frenzied" if you like, and with a more exhilerating tempo.

Also there are better recordings of the Adagio. I'm a great fan of Williams but I think Rodrigo needs a less subtle approach. Williams is still very expressive though.

John Williams demonstrates his incredible technique, plus his strong control of the guitar in this CD. I also recommend the video, especially for those who have never had the pleasure of attending one of Williams' concerts. If you want to explore the "Segovia School", then Williams is your perfect choice, since he was one of Segovia's favorite students--and most successful. The repertoire chosen here is a "master class" in itself to aspiring guitarists of how to develop a program for a concert and/or CD. Great choice also for someone who just wants to listen to beautiful guitar music as they eat a gourmet dinner.

John Williams shows, once again, his dominance of the guitar. His rendition of Koshkin's Usher Waltz is incredible. If you're a guitar lover, then this certainly won't dissapoint you...and if you really want to be blown away..buy the video!!!

This CD is great; almost beyond words. Williams brings a lot of diverse song styles and artists into one cd, from Yuco to Rodigo--showing the great sensitivity and huge variety of sounds and textures that can be made from one instrument. This is the guitar the way its meant to be played!

(PS. . .if you're a guitar player like I am, check out his tremelo! It's PERFECT. It seriously makes me wanna cry.)

Can you wear a groove in a CD? I play this on the way to work for the inspiration. John Williams is fabulous and the selections well balanced. I recommend this CD highly even if you are guitar "illiterate".

This is one of my favorite albums, so when the CD became scratched, I purchased a replacement. I was first introduced to the collection on a public TV showing of the artist in concert in Seville. The architecture of the Alakazar (forgive my spelling) caught my attention first as I was channel flipping, and the wonderful music kept me riveted to the set. Although entirely of the "classical" genre, the collection is quite eclectic, including Vivaldi, Bach, Scarlatti, and Albeniz among the composers represented. Playing this CD always makes me want to get a guitar and take lessons!

This is an excellent album. The diversity makes it a great purchase for entry level classic guitar listeners.

This is the album you should buy if you've heard OF John Williams, but haven't actually heard him play. This album is absolutely amazing.

This CD is great; almost beyond words. Williams brings a lot of diverse song styles and artists into one cd, from Yucco to Barrios--showing the great sensitivity and huge variety of sounds and textures that can be made from one instrument. This is the guitar the way its meant to be played!

(PS. . .if you're a guitar player like I am, check out his tremelo! It's PERFECT. It seriously makes me wanna cry.)