Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Piquant and charming, February 6, 2007
The Grandes Sonates Op. 22 and 25 are probably heard less frequently than many of Sor's smaller-scale works, but they deserve to be heard. Anyone not charmed by the second movement (allegro non troppo) is a harder person than I.
Holzman does a terrific job with these--his phrasing and articulation are wonderful. This disc has the typical Naxos dry acoustic, and the miking is pretty close. I think this works well here, even on a modern guitar.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable recording.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Softly-Played Sor, February 12, 2008
After reading the wide spectrum of opinion expressed by the 3 previous reviewers, I decided to try this disc for myself. I had already purchased most of the other Sor (solo) discs on Naxos. Adam Holzman plays these pieces quite softly. Perhaps he is playing--as did Sor himself--without use of right-hand nails. However his effect is achieved, the music has a consistently gentle quality. While not as expressive as it might be otherwise, I certainly find his playing soothing and almost mesmerizing (my cat loves this CD). Another plus is that these works--two lengthy sonatas (Op. 22 & 25) and several short piece comprising Op. 23 & 24--all flow together nicely; in this respect, it's perhaps better than most other CDs in this series. Musically, these works shouldn't disappoint in the least--to me, they're all typical, high-quality Sor.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disregard the previous reviewer, November 3, 2006
Contrary to the review seen below, the blame for the mediocrity of this album rests solely on the performer, Adam Holzman. The reviewer put the fault on the composer Fernando Sor, however he was very wrong in doing so.
In actuality, the music is sublimely composed and has a Haydnistic nature to it with elements of Mozart and Beethoven popping up sporadically. In short, they are master works and typical of the mid to late classical period. In my opinion they are charming and beautiful. They are not as flashy or as witless as the more popular pieces of the period (eg Op 9, or works by Guiliani). The Grand Sonatas represent an aire of refinement and poise and should be performed as thus. If you like the piano sonatas of Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Clementi, Field, etc... Then these pieces should be equally appealing to you....IF THEY ARE PLAYED BY A DIFFERENT PERFORMER.
Adam Holzman is a guitarist of immense capability but of also of little artistry. I have seen him numerous times and have even met and studied with him in masterclasses so I hope that my point will be taken with credence. His priorities rest heavily with technique and not musical interpretation or acuity. He barrels through these pieces as if trying to impress with technical ability and not with dynamic rhetoric. There many specific examples I can use to support this however I do not wish to be so drab. His forte is in pieces of a more virtuosic nature, not pieces that require sensitivity and poise.
Furthermore, the previous reviewer should not be viewed has having any authority in his statements. One who mispells "Aguado" as "Aguada" must be of meager abilities and of little knowledge of the guitar and its repertoire.
This review was written as a defense of Fernando Sor (the greatest COMPOSER for the guitar in the classical period) and as a determent toward Holzman's recording(s)of the composer in question.
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~ Fernando Sor
~ Fernando Sor
~ Fernando Sor
~ Fernando Sor
by Fernando Sor 
