Spanish Guitar Album

[Hortense Malovich]

Areyou looking to delve into classical music for guitar and you are not sure where to start? Or perhaps you need help with choosing CD's to complete your collection? If you are in any of these or similar circumstances we would like make a few recommendations that we consider simply a must. We selected 10 albums we most liked, however the list could be much longer.

American guitarist Christopher Parkering listened to the recordings of Andrs Segovia with devotion since an early age, and after years of work and dedication, the master himself recognized him as one of the greatest classical guitarists today. This album, published in 1990, is one of the most celebrated ones of his entire discography. Apart from Bach, the disc contains memorable interpretations of baroque masters such as Hndel or Scarlatti.

Born in Glasgow (Scotland), Galician by adoption, David Russell, a dedicated follower of the work of Andrs Segovia and Julian Bream, he also interpreted great works of the classical masters. On this occasion we would like to recommend this album recorded two years ago in which Russell delights us with his interpretations of the Paraguayan master Agustn Po Barrios.

What can we say about this album? It contains some of the most beautiful music ever written, interpreted by one of the greatest guitarists of all times. And if this isnt tempting enough, it is performed on an eleven string guitar built by a Swedish luthier Georg Bolin. It would be very difficult to find recordings of Bachs suites that will impress you more than this one.

"Spanish Guitar" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton from her third studio album, The Heat (2000). It was released on September 11, 2000, as the album's third single by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. It was never released as a commercial single in the United States, where the song reached number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song received mixed reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it "an effective ballad" and picked it one of the best songs of the album, alongside "He Wasn't Man Enough" and "Just Be a Man About It".[2] CD Universe was largely positive, writing that "the appropriately titled 'Spanish Guitar' marks an interruption of the other songs' predominantly electronic textures while remaining consistent with the sensuous, romantic mood."[3] Barry Walters wrote favorably for Rolling Stone, stating that "Braxton's supple alto rests easily within mainstream R&B's smooove sonic furniture, her croons displaying husky quirks as the track goes through the multiplatinum motions on 'Spanish Guitar,' a Latin-conscious 'Un-Break My Heart' clone."[4]

The music video for "Spanish Guitar" opens with Braxton floating on top of the water. The scene quickly changes to a crowded cafe and centers on a man (portrayed by Kamar de los Reyes) playing the guitar. The scene changes to a modern white and red room where Braxton, wearing a red dress, sings her longing to be in his arms. There are several shots of him playing the guitar with the guitar morphing into Braxton in his arms. Towards the end, he and Braxton have a dance scene together. The video ends into a fade-out of Braxton in bed, with a guitar. The video was directed by Billie Woodruff, who also directed the videos for "Un-Break My Heart", "He Wasn't Man Enough", and "Just Be a Man About It".

Recording engineer Sherwood Hall III won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Classical Album at the first Grammy Awards in 1959.[2] Salli Terri was nominated for Best Classical Vocal Performance. It has been reported that upon hearing her version of "Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5" from the album, composer Heitor Villa-Lobos stated that he considered it the best recorded performance of the work.[3]

A critic in the 1958 issue of Hifi & Music Review wrote, "Laurindo Almeida's guitar playing captures the keen poignancy and rhythmic lan of Brazilian music with superb assurance and taste...Salli Terri sings Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 with a sinuousness and ecstasy which makes this the finest modern version."[4]

In her memoir Simple Dreams, Linda Ronstadt wrote that her aunt, singer Luisa Espinel, was a friend of Salli Terri. "Knowing I wanted to sing, Aunt Luisa had sent me a recording, Duets with the Spanish Guitar, which featured guitarist Laurindo Almeida dueting alternately with flautist Martin Ruderman and soprano Salli Terri. It became one of my most cherished recordings." Ronstadt further states Luisa Espinel Ronstadt helped Terri research recordings and learn Spanish.[7]

Duets with the Spanish Guitar is cited in the biography of poet Anne Sexton by Diane Wood Middlebrook. "They discovered they shared a passion for Laurindo Almeida's guitar rendition of Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras. For years afterwards, the fluting voice of Salli Terri on that recording expressed for Sexton an epitome of feeling, a purity the poetry could never reach; its wordless rapture stood for the liberty of those days with Anne Wilder."[8]

The earliest known ancestors of the guitar (whether flamenco or otherwise) are primitive string instruments (bowl harps and tanburs) from the ancient Egyptian, Sumerian and Babylonian civilisations, over 4000 years ago. These instruments spread around the ancient world with travellers, merchants and seamen, and evolved throughout centuries.

So how did they get to Spain? The chartar, a four-stringed Persian instrument, arrived in Spain and changed in shape and construction, and became known as the quitarra. During the Rennaissance, the Spanish vihuela became popular in the court. It was a string instrument with lute-style tuning (influenced by the Arabic oud which was brought to Spain by the moors) and a guitar-like body. Meanwhile, the guitarra latina, which derived from the quitarra, was played by ordinary folk.

The term guitarra espaola or Spanish guitar can be used to refer to both flamenco guitars and classical guitars. Although it may look like there is no difference between a flamenco guitar and a classical guitar to the naked eye, they are indeed different instruments. The differences can be found mainly in their construction and sound.

Sabicas, who lived a big chunk of his life in exile from the Spanish dictatorship led by Francisco Franco, was an incredibly talented guitarist and composer who reached international stardom before he was renowned in his native Spain. He was a bit of a pioneer as a flamenco guitar soloist, and he was also one of the first flamenco artists to experiment with other music genres like rock with the album Rock Encounter (1966). Essential contains a great selection of some of his best work as a soloist. Agrrate los machos. Prepare yourself!

The guitarist Pablo Sinz-Villegas embodies "the soul of the Spanish guitar" and is now recognized as one of the world's leading soloists on his instrument. When supreme virtuosity is combined with effortless grace, passion with melancholy, and the six strings of the guitar vibrate as one heartbeat, Pablo Sinz-Villegas is in his element. On his new album, "Soul of Spanish Guitar," this exceptional artist has selected ten works that hold a special place in his heart. "Spanish music represents the fusion of various influences," he explains, as it brings together "harmonies, rhythms, and melodies from different folk traditions," whether of Arabic, Christian, or other origins. In the music for Spanish guitar, one can recognize "the voice of an entire people," based on centuries of peaceful coexistence among different cultures. Two composers, in particular, are in focus: Francisco Trrega, with pieces such as "Recuerdos de la Alhambra," "Capricho arabe," "Gran jota de concierto," and "Lgrima," and Isaac Albniz, with compositions including "Asturias" and "Mallorca." Pablo Sinz-Villegas, an exclusive artist of Sony Classical, hails from Logroo in the La Rioja region of northern Spain. He has premiered numerous works, including "Rounds," the first composition for guitar by Academy Award-winning composer John Williams. Plcido Domingo, with whom Villegas had the opportunity to collaborate on the successful album "Volver," praises him as a true "master of the guitar." He is celebrated internationally as an ambassador of Spanish culture. Pablo Sinz-Villegas is the only guitarist invited to perform at the Berlin Philharmonie by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the past nearly 40 years. Furthermore, he is also the first guitarist to perform at their prestigious New Year's Eve concert since then. In late 2020, under the baton of Kirill Petrenko, he performed Joaqun Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" at this renowned event.

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After 15 years of trabeling through North and South America, Garcia found his voice in Twanguero, "a unique musical project where I merge my Spanish roots with the electric sounds that were born in California in the 1950s that I heard on my father's records."

To kick off the tour for Backroads, Vol. 2, Garcia will again take part in the Ventura Music Festival. The 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 9 show will feature an acoustic solo set based on the new album and a second half with his band and electric guitar. For information, visit venturamusicfestival.org/twanguero/

Playing For Change also operates the Playing For Change Foundation, and Garcia is a big fan of its work building music and art schools for children in countries including South Africa, Brazil and Nepal.

Steve Simmons is an accomplished writer and editor who writes about a wide array of topics including entertainment. His successful experience at the Beverly Hills Courier and other publications set the stage for his blog. This article first appeared on his blog, www.stevesimmonswrites.com. Contact Steve at steve.si...@gmail.com or 626-788-6734.

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