Product Details

• Actors: William Kanengiser
• Directors: William Kanengiser
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Mel Bay Publications, Inc.
• DVD Release Date: January 23, 2007
• Run Time: 151 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KCHY2U
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,689 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

About the Actor

Recognized as one of America s most brilliant guitarists, WILLIAM KANENGISER has developed a unique repertoire for his instrument, ranging from dazzling arrangements of Mozart, Handel, and Bartók to his innovative excursions into the music of Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. Praised by the Los Angeles Times for his dizzying execution and exceeding vitality and warmth, Mr. Kanengiser has performed in recital and as guest soloist with orchestras in virtually every major American city, ranging from New York City s Carnegie Hall to San Francisco s Herbst Theater, as well as throughout Canada, Europe, and Asia. Through unusual commissions and a creative approach to transcription, Mr. Kanengiser has won recognition for expanding the repertory beyond the staples of guitar literature. He has performed and recorded works written for him by composers as diverse as Dusan Bogdanovich, Ian Krouse, and Brian Head, and has won consistent praise for his own transcriptions of scores from the traditional repertory, most notably Mozart s Piano Sonata in A major (featuring the Rondo Alla Turka ), which he prepared for the Columbia Pictures release, Crossroads, in which he was Ralph Macchio s guitar double and coach. Many of these arrangements have been published by GSP, Gendai Guitar, and Doberman Editions. Mr. Kanengiser s solo recordings are heard exclusively on the GSP label. His first recording, Ronda Alla Turka, won an INDIE award for Best Classical Recording. His second solo CD, Echoes from the Old World, features music of the folk traditions of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The third, Caribbean Souvenirs, comprises music from the Caribbean and Mexico. His most recent recording is Classical Cool, a 2003 GSP release, includes jazz-inspired compositions and arrangements for classical guitar. A fifth CD, Groovetune, featuring Mr. Kanengiser s interpretations of music from fingerstyle masters including Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny, Ozzie Kotani, Michael Hedges, and others, will be released in 2007. Mr. Kanengiser s first live studio-concert DVD was released in October 2006 by Mel Bay Publications; the album also includes his now-infamous comedy imitation show from the 2005 Guitar Foundation of America Festival. He has also produced two popular instructional videos, Effortless Classical Guitar and Classical Guitar Mastery. Elsewhere in the media, Mr. Kanengiser for two years hosted his own weekly radio show on KKGO-FM in Los Angeles. As a founding member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, William Kanengiser tours extensively throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, and has recording for the GHA, Delos, and Sony Classical labels. LAGQ currently records exclusively for Telarc. Their 2001 Telarc release, LAGQ: Latin, was nominated for a Grammy, and their follow-up recording LAGQ s Guitar Heroes won a Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album of 2004. The latest release, Spin, features an original composition by Mr. Kanengiser for four guitars, Turn to the Sea. LAGQ recently released a live concert DVD for Mel Bay Publications, and will record a CD of Brazilian music with jazz singer Luciana Souza in 2007. Beyond his work with LAGQ, Mr. Kanengiser has performed chamber music at festivals and concerts with a wide range of noted artists and ensembles, including the Miami String Quartet, the Vermeer Quartet, flutist Marina Piccinini, pianist Mia Chung, violinist Maria Bachmann, and recorder artist Aldo Abreu. Mr. Kanengiser won First Prize of the 1987 Concert Artists Guild Competition as well as major international competitions in Toronto (1981) and Paris (1983). The recipient of two Solo Recitalist Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, he was also chosen as one of Musical America s Outstanding Young Artists. A member of the guitar faculty at the USC Thornton

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great personality in the classical guitar world..., March 12, 2007

By 

G. TEPPER (the OC, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bay William Kanengiser: Classical Guitar & Beyond (DVD)

The highlight of the DVD is his presentation at GFA providing insight into the personalities of 22 influential classical guitarists and teachers. That alone is worth the price of the DVD (5 stars); a brilliant presentation....

...as for the performances, each piece is introduced with a little background, and sometimes a little speculation behind the motivation of the composers of the pieces he performs.

In the first half, he performs pieces from Sor, Aguado and Giuliani with a colorful musical interpretation and technique (considering the periods in which they composed, it takes good musicianship to make these interesting). You can tell he truly enjoys playing these pieces.

The highlight (to me) of the performance is in the second half, where he plays three pieces of Joaquin Rodrigo (En Los Trigales, Tiento Antiguo, and Fandango). He also plays a little bit of a hodge-podge of pieces: Missing Her by Frederic Hand (very pretty, with jazz influences), Sketches for Friends by Brian Head, and Keyunbaba by Carlo Dominiconi. He wraps up the second half with two encores (The Miller's Dance - De Falla, and Rondo all Turak - Mozart).

Finally, he is interviewed and tells us a little about his life: when he started playing, his life at USC, playing with the LAGQ, and a little bit on balancing life with music (focused practicing). He also reveals who his greatest critic is (you'll have to get the DVD to find out who that is).

A good DVD if you are learning any of these pieces. I found the Rodrigo works to be intriguing, as the phrasing in Rodrigo's works can be difficult at times to figure out. Bill Kanengizer expresses them very well, and the viewer can "see where the piece is going" musically.

1 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Uninspired, September 29, 2007

By 

musikluvr - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay William Kanengiser: Classical Guitar & Beyond (DVD)

While Mr. Kanengiser has all of the "mechanics" of the guitar worked out, I found his playing to very uninspired. Mel Bay (as usual) has produced an excellent product; all of the close-ups, great sound recording, everything the viewer could want. The performance of the guitarist is where this DVD is lacking, Mr. Kanengiser just appears to be "executing" rather than stiving to communicate to the listener the feeling behind the music. I would recommend ANY of the other "GFA" recordings by Mel Bay over this particular selection.