Customer Reviews

The Segovia Collection (Vol. 2): The Legendary Andrés Segovia plays Fantasia para un Gentilhombre, Concierto del Sur, Castles of Spain

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3 star:		(1)
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This is the first time I have reveiwed anything and I am not at all an expert--but this is especially beautiful ( although the Cd The Legendary Segovia which I got at the same time as this one has grown on me--this did not HAVE TO "grow on" me--These two are only my second and third (respectively) Segovia recordings ever-but there will be more --especially from this series-- I highly recommend this one in particular.

I have been loving this ever since it came out in 1990, along with the first volume (Bach). Those two cds have more astonishingly warm and personal music on them than most anything I know, excepting Bill Evans and a few other musical titans.

Segovia's technique was ridiculously amazing, but like any master he used it to take the music to a transcendent level of expression. I like this disc even more than the Bach collection as you can feel Segovia's Spanish heritage informing the music with an authentic flavor and flair that is untouchable. No one has come close since, not even Williams or Bream, and it's a fair bet to say that no one ever will.

I listened to this for eight straight hours on my walkman in 1991 while on a heavenly walking tour of the Alhambra, home to some of these pieces. The distant snow-capped mountains, the incredible Moorish architecture, the endless fountains and hanging plants, the absolutely unique atmosphere of that splendid palace, all of it expressed completely by the music. I got there before they opened after dawn and was alone for an hour or more, and enjoyed every nook and cranny until they closed. It remains one of the finest days of my life, and Segovia's music made it more than complete. My companion Dr. Hoffmann and his sparkling wisdom certainly helped, and made me appreciate Segovia on another level or three.

There may be sonic imperfections in the transfer, but the music more than overpowers the flaws. This is without doubt the single classical guitar cd I would keep if limited to just one. Aside from Django, no one has ever made an unamplified guitar speak more convincingly.

Fabulous compositions played to perfection and then some. Pure heaven, and equally rewarding as dinner music or heard intently with the lights out and eyes closed. You can feel the composers' and musician's brilliance and heart in every note, and that's as good as music gets.

This disc consists of the concertos from the three-record "Golden Jubilee" set recorded in 1958, plus "Castles of Spain" from 1969. The Jubilee album was, arguably, the finest Segovia ever made, catching him with (comparatively) modern recording technology (although unhappily not in stereo) when he was still at the height of his technical and interpretive powers, playing music written expressly for him and/or ideally suited to his style. The performances of both concertos are easily the best I have ever heard; no one else is even in the running, despite the staggering technique of some of today's performers. After this, the energy began gradually to dissipate, and the contrast with "Castles" is very noticeable, although the latter is still better than many guitarists ever achieve.

That's the performance; the CD transfer is another matter. It's utterly dreadful, and since the since the performances were remastered and reissued (2002) in a far superior edition, there's little reason for buying this 1990 one.

The total time is 63'06".

Is there any other Fantasia para un gentilhombre more exuberant and idiomatic than this one?
Segovia made a sublime performance under the conduction of enriquie Jorda and the Symphony of the Air . Elegance , nuance and rapture are some of the multiple reasons you have to acquire this gem
The Ponce Concerto del Sur is extraordinary well played too .
The other superlative recording is the Castles of Spain of Federico Moreno Tórroba . You will find in this piece a set of vignettes a real cornucopia of different spanish flavour pices each one with it particular feature .
A real treasure file !

There is some very good music here, from the Rodrigo fantasy based on the music of Gaspar Sanz to Ponce's poetic Concierto del Sur (Concerto of the south). However, the sound quality and execution by Segivia isn't up to standard as in other recodings. At times it seems Segovia's guitar was miked very close to sound extra "boomy" in the bass notes, really obscuring the sound. Some chords seemed to thump along unmusically and I never got the real sense of the melody lines because they were not let to sing to thier fullest.

The same problem continued in the Torroba solo pieces "Castles of Spain". The phrasing to my ears sounded choppy and haphazard, with an unusual tendency to "click" the treble strings in the melody. I first assumed this was due to Segovia's advanced age at the time of the recording. The latest recording here (Castles of Spain) was recorded in 1969. Of course by 1969, recording technology had well advanced far beyond the standards of the 1930's (in fact, the quality of sound reproduction sounded very crisp and clear), but unfortunately Segovia's abilities by 1969 were not as they were in the 30's and 40's and the cleaner recording unfortunately highlighted this fact.

I do recommend this recording for historical value and analysis, especially for Concierto del Sur by Ponce. But I do not recommend this CD for pure listening pleasure. Both guitar concertos have been recorded many times by other players, and for the charming "Castles of Spain" I recommend Christopher Parkening's exquisite versions on "Tribute to Segovia" CD.

I love Segovia's music. He is a master of the guitar. I will continue collecting all of his works as I can..........