Saturday Evening Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and your Saturday Evening Concert as we wrap up our two week exploration of the Giants of the Guitar in celebration of International Guitar Month.  I must apologize for the lateness of my post, but there are mitigating circumstances.  I got some overtime in at work this week and Friday nearly kicked my ass.  I end my work week with my longest shift with the most items on the agenda for the evening.  Of course the grocery truck was a tad tardy so I had to stay over a bit to finish things up.  As a result I was just a wee bit bushed when I did get home from work.  I have taken things slow and easy today, not wanting to get in a hurry or stress out over anything.  That being said, I still have some Fabulous Live Performances lined up to share with you this evening.  So let's get to it, shall we?

In our exploration of the Giants of the Guitar, we have featured many Musical Artists and Multiple Composers all dedicated to this Marvelous Musical Instrument.  Tonight's concerts are both in intimate settings that accentuate the beautiful Music being performed.  The concert's also feature three Musical Artists whom I have yet had the pleasure of featuring in these pages performing selections from several different Composers.  

Posted down below is a recital performance in the Trinity Episcopal Church by the Brasil Guitar Duo of João Luiz and Douglas Lora.  The play a selection of works from various Composers and speak intimately with the audience during the recital.  There is a plug for the Episcopal Church at the end but you can skip that if you like.  The recital features two great artists performing a repertoire that mixes Classical with traditional Brazilian music.  It is a wonderful performance that includes:

2:00 Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata L305 

7:00 J.S. Bach: French Suite  

                                                               

23:00 Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco:  Sonatina Canonica along with 3 Preludes & Fugues from his 24 Preludes & Fugues's:  Prelude & Fugues in B Flat, E Flat and C

 50:00 Brazilian repertoire

 

Over on my tumblr, Scottish Guitarist David Russell also performs a variety of works by multiple Composers in the beautiful Casita del Principe' Don Carlos in a performance recorded for the La Guitarra Espanola program on the TVE Network.  His play list includes:

00:38 Uma Limosnita Por El Amor de Dios (Agustin Barrios)

04:10 Vals Em Sol

07:31 Julia Florida

11:02 Vals en Re

14:59 Danza Paraguaya n° 1

16:44 Se ela Perguntar (Dilermando Reis)

20:58 Xodó da Baiana

23:02 Sonatina (Jorge Morel)

27:09 Andante Expressivo

30:20 Allegro

 32:10 Danza Brasilera

34:30 Choro n°1 (Villalobos)

38:50 Sons de Carrilhões (João Pernambuco)

40:51 Scherzino Mexicano (Manuel Ponce)

43:24 Tradicional – La Cuarteler

45:01 Sueño en La Floresta (Agustin Barrios)

Oh yes, there is also visual stimulation in the extremely sexy edition of Naked or Nearly So down below.  Then combining my love of Hispanic Hotties and the Cello is the 'Muy Quiero y Cello' Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for sticking around to share part of you Weekend with me, see you again on Monday for another week of Music, Men & More!  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Composers V

I am so glad it is Friday, I am really ready for the Weekend.  But first I have to get through truck night in the rain, lovely.  However, we have much more pleasant things to talk about, say our continuing series on the Giants of the Guitar.  This week we have focused on The Composers while not necessarily highlighting The Performers although all of our featured works have been marvelous all on their own.  Today is no different, I have a couple of gems found among the jewels of the Baroque era to share with you today.  We had Music from Boccherini yesterday which led me to the rediscovery of our featured works today.  Boccherini was born in Lucca, in the Tuscany region of Italy.  Some 56 years prior to the birth of Boccherini, Lucca produced its first jewel in the Baroque crown in Francesco Geminiani.   

From our friend Wikipedia:

Born at Lucca, he received lessons in music from Alessandro Scarlatti, and studied the violin under Carlo Ambrogio Lonati in Milan and afterwards under Arcangelo Corelli. From 1707 he took the place of his father in the Cappella Palatina of Lucca. From 1711, he led the opera orchestra at Naples, as Leader of the Opera Orchestra and concertmaster, which gave him many opportunities for contact with Alessandro Scarlatti. After a brief return to Lucca, in 1714, he set off for London, where he arrived with the reputation of a virtuoso violinist, and soon attracted attention and patrons, including William Capel, 3rd Earl of Essex, who remained a consistent patron. In 1715 Geminiani played his violin concerti for the court of George I, with Handel at the keyboard.

After visiting Paris and residing there for some time, he returned to England in 1755. In 1761, on one of his sojourns in Dublin, a servant robbed him of a musical manuscript on which he had bestowed much time and labor. His vexation at this loss is said to have hastened his death.

He appears to have been a first-rate violinist. His Italian pupils reportedly called him Il Furibondo, the Madman, because of his expressive rhythms.  In an unusual trio grouping of ic Guitar, Cello and Harpsichord, Geminiani provides us with 6 Sonatas that are delightfully mellow and joyously listenable.  Today's performers are Laszlo Szendry Karper on Guitar, Ede Banda on Cello and Janos Sebestyen on Harpsichord.

 Some 20 years after Boccherini was born, Classical Music was in the midst of a Golden Age with brilliant Musicians and Composers being born or coming to the fore almost like little bunnies doing their thing.  In the small village of Mattsee near Salzburg, Anton Diabelli was born.  Diabelli was an Austrian music publisher, editor and composer. Best known in his time as a publisher, he is most familiar today as the composer of the waltz on which Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his set of thirty-three Diabelli Variations.^[1]  He was instrumental in publishing and promoting the works of Franz Schubert, being the first to do so in 1821.  Diabelli composed the marvelous "Grande Sonate Brillante" for Guitar and Piano, Op. 102 which is the work I have chosen as our companion piece over on my tumblr in an effort to feature as many composers as possible in the time allowed.   The piece is performed on period instruments by Erik Stenstadvold, on a 19th Century Guitar & Brenda Blewett on Piano.  

Then Friday would not be complete with our a little Fantasy Fuel which you will find in abundance posted down below this post.  Also be sure to check out Addison Graham who is worth a whole 'nother Fantasy all by himself as the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.   Thanks for the visit, tune in tomorrow for another Fabulous Live Performance on the Saturday 'Evening Concert.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Composers IV

It Thursday & pay day, so of course I am running a little behind.  But hey, it is still Thursday, right?  Anyway, we continue on our journey of exploration into the Giants of the Guitar with this week's focus on The Composers.  Most of the Music we have heard over the last couple of weeks has been solo works, concerti or works for other instruments transcribed for performance on the Guitar.  However the Guitar lends itself well to duos, trios and other groupings of instruments in an ensemble.  I have a particular affinity for the Baroque period with composers like Boccherini, Corelli and Vivaldi among my favorites as composers.  Luigi Boccherini wrote a large amount of chamber music, including over one hundred string quintets for two violins, viola and two cellos (a type which he pioneered, in contrast with the then common scoring for two violins, two violas and one cello), a dozen guitar quintets, not all of which have survived, nearly a hundred string quartets, and a number of string trios and sonatas (including at least 19 for the cello). His orchestral music includes around 30 symphonies and 12 virtuoso cello concerti.

I have the surviving Guitar Quintets for you today recorded in a marvelous performance by the ensemble La Magnifica Comunità with Eros Roselli on Guitar.  The play list includes Guitar Quintette Nr.1 d-moll G.445; Guitar Quintette Nr.3 B-dur G.447 22:41; Guitar Quintette Nr.5 D-dur G.449 44:45; Guitar Quintette Nr.6 G-dur G.450 1:04:25 ; Guitar Quintette Nr.4 D-dur G.448 1:19:59; Guitar Quintette Nr.2 E-dur G.446 1:38:21 and Guitar Quintette C-dur G.453 1:57:50.

Another form of ensemble expression is the Guitar Quartet.  There are some works written for a Guitar Quartet but a lot of the Guitar Quartet repertoire consists of transcriptions of works for other groupings.  One excellent example is the Orchestral Suite from the Opera Carmen by Georges Bizet.  The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet has transcribed the suite for Guitar Quartet and you will find their performance over on my tumblr.

And no I did not forget the eye candy, you will find the dynamite in denim in the Men In Jeans post down below and in Mr October, the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for sticking around, tune in tomorrow for more Giants of the Guitar.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Composers III

Happy Hump Day and Welcome to day 3 of The Composers in our exploration of the Giants of the Guitar.  Not all Music performed on the Guitar was written for the instrument itself.  Many times, a composer from a later time will take a work from an earlier time for which he has a particular affinity or thinks would work well if performed for an instrument other than the one for which it was written.  Such it is with all the Music in our exploration today.  Contemporary Composers have taken Music composed by Maestros Mozart and Haydn and transcribed them for performance on the Classical Guitar.  

Our featured works here today were all composed by Mozart for an instrument or instruments other than the Guitar.  The videos are all courtesy of the Los Angeles Guitar Academy with the scores transcribed for Guitar, mostly by staffer/composer Emre Sabuncuoglu.  The performance artist is not listed but I assume it to be one of the instructors if not Emre himself illustrating the finished transcriptions of the following works:

Rondo alla Turca (Turkish March)

"Lacrimosa" from Requiem in D Minor, K 626

Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben from Zaide

Queen of the Night's Aria from The Magic Flute

Piano Sonata, K545, First Movement

Eine kliene Nachtmusik, First Movement

Symphony Number 25, The 'Little G', First Movement

You guys know how I love the Cello, well Haydn's Cello Concerto in C  Major is actually quite awesome when transcribed for Guitar.  You will find Jovan Pesec's transcription over on my tumblr performed by the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra under Georg Kugi with Gabriel Guillén as the Guitar Soloist to whom the transcription was dedicated by Pesec.  

There are lots of splashing good times to get you 'wet all over' for your visual consumption in this weeks edition of Wet Wednesday posted down below.  The Steven Dehler looks adorable on the beach in his Timateos over on my tumblr also.  Thanks for tuning in, come on back tomorrow to see what Uncle Gerry has up his sleeve for you then.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Composers II

I have some great Music lined up for you today as we continue our exploration of the Giants of the Guitar.  This week's focus on The Composers gives us a wealth of material to work with, so I will really only scratch the surface of the Music that is out there for the Guitar.  Our Featured Composers today are all familiar to you, Antonio Vivaldi, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco will all be appearing on my tumblr with a performance by Marcos Tsessos on Guitar and the Chamber Orchestra of St Petersburg Philharmony.  

In these pages, our Featured Composer, while legendary for his music composed for the violin, Nicolo Paganini is no less skilled or enjoyable in his compositions for the guitar. Milanese guitarist Guido Fichtner takes on Paganini's repertoire of 37 Sonatas for the Guitar with great relish and flawless technique. One can sense this from the opening notes to the fade out.  This suppleness and athletic playing continue throughout the album, where there is a graceful energy and a lifting feeling throughout.   Fichtner sounds confident and is able to highlight the melody while still playing the accompaniment, and breathing life into the lines, with swelling crescendo-decrescendos. We also hear his tenderness in the dynamic changes for which Paganini is so famous.  The complete play list may be found here @ AllMusic.   

We can't slip away without providing you with a little visual stimulation to brighten your day.  For this I tried to select stunning or evocative photographs in some oblique fashion to come up with this particularly comely collection of Random Hotness posted down below.  Of  course, you may draw additional inspiration from the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for the visit, tune in tomorrow to see what is next in our exploration of The Composers.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Composers

Happy 420 everyone and welcome to our continuing celebration of International Guitar Month with our exploration of the Giants of the Guitar.  Last week we took a look at The Performers, well this week we explore the Music of The Composers.  The Guitar as an instrument dates back almost 400 years with the earliest Renassance & Baroque Guitars having been strung with four courses.  Courses are double strings set closely and plucked together to produce the sound.  During the Baroque period a fifth course was added, the  Nicolas Alexandre Voboam II style having a flat back and the Matteo Sellas style a round back.  Music written specifically for the classical guitar dates from the addition of the sixth string (the baroque guitar normally had five pairs of strings) in the late 18th century.  The Modern Six String Classical Guitar came into being around 1790.  

Of music written originally for guitar, the earliest important composers are from the classical period and include Fernando Sor (b. Spain 1778) and Mauro Giuliani (b. Italy 1781), both of whom wrote in a style strongly influenced by Viennese classicism. In the 19th century guitar composers such as Johann Kaspar Mertz (b. Slovakia, Austria 1806) were strongly influenced by the dominance of the piano. Not until the end of the nineteenth century did the guitar begin to establish its own unique identity. Francisco Tárrega (b. Spain 1852) was central to this, sometimes incorporating stylized aspects of flamenco's Moorish influences into his romantic miniatures. This was part of late 19th century mainstream European musical nationalism. Albéniz and Granados were central to this movement; their evocation of the guitar was so successful that their compositions have been absorbed into standard guitar repertoire.

The steel-string and electric guitars characteristic to the rise of rock and roll in the post-WWII era became more widely played in North America and the English speaking world. Barrios composed many works and brought into the mainstream the characteristics of Latin American music, as did the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Andrés Segovia commissioned works from Spanish composers such as Federico Moreno Torroba and Joaquín Rodrigo, Italians such as Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Latin American composers such as Manuel Ponce of Mexico. Other prominent Latin American composers are Leo Brouwer of Cuba, Antonio Lauro of Venezuela and Enrique Solares of Guatemala. Julian Bream of Britain managed to get nearly every British composer from William Walton to Benjamin Britten to Peter Maxwell Davies to write significant works for guitar. Bream's collaborations with tenor Peter Pears also resulted in song cycles by Britten, Lennox Berkeley and others. There are significant works by composers such as Hans Werner Henze of Germany, Gilbert Biberian of England and Roland Chadwick of Australia.

The classical guitar also became widely used in popular music and rock & roll in the 1960s after guitarist Mason Williams popularized the instrument in his instrumental hit Classical Gas. Guitarist Christopher Parkening is quoted in the book Classical Gas: The Music of Mason Williams as saying that it is the most requested guitar piece besides Malagueña and perhaps the best known instrumental guitar piece today. In the field of New Flamenco, the works and performances of Spanish composer and player Paco de Lucía are known worldwide.

Not many classical guitar concerti were written through the guitar history. Nevertheless, some guitar concerti are nowadays widely known and popular, especially Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez (with the famous theme from 2nd movement) and Fantasía para un gentilhombre.  There are more and more Concerti being written for the Guitar as the repertoire expansion that began with Segovia's inspiration continues.  I will try to feature as many works by as many composers as possible this week, however I will not be able to cover the expanse of the repertoire that exits today.

I will start with one of the earliest Guitar Virtuosi who was also a Cellist, Singer and of course, a Composer.  Italian Composer Mauro Guiliani wrote more than 150 different works for Guitar including Solo, Duo, Ensemble and Orchestral Scores.  As a Cellist he played in the orchestra at the debut of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.  As a Guitar Composer, he was very fond of the theme and variations— an extremely popular form in Vienna.  He had a remarkable ability to weave a melody into a passage with musical effect while remaining true to the idiom of the instrument.  Today's video presentation  features the two CD set:  Guiliani Complete Guitar Concertos, Gran Sonata eroica and other solo works.  Disc One is posted down below and Disc Two is over on my tumblr.  Today's performance is by The Academy of St Martin in the Fields under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner featuring Pepe Romero as the Soloist.  The Disc one play list includes:

 

1. Concerto No.1 in A, Op.30 0:00
2. Concerto No.2 in A, Op.36 22:36
3. Variations on - "I bin a Kohlbauern Bub," Op.49 54:49
4. Gran Sonata Eroica in A 1:04:23

 

I would like to once again thank Wikipedia for their invaluable contributions to this post.   But before I sign off, there is still the matter of a little visual stimulation for a Monday.  In honor of the 420 celebration, I tried to choose guys that were smoking hot or whose 'blunt' I would definitely 'smoke'.  You will find my results in this week's edition of Monday's Undies posted down below and in the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Tune in tomorrow as we explore more Music of The Composers.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Saturday Evening Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and your Saturday Evening Concert.  It has been a great week as we have examined the Giants of the Guitar.  We wrap up this week's focus on The Performers with another great concert before next week's look at The Composers who wrote so much grand and glorious music for the Guitar.  But that's next week, for tonight, I have another intimate recital for you featuring both Julian Bream and John Williams recorded live in the Chapel at Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire, England. 

Over on my tumblr, I have chosen to feature Pepe Romero in concert whom I have not had the opportunity to profile this week.  Pepe Romero is the son of Caledonio Romero, guitarist, Composer and founder of the Los Romeros Quartet.  Pepe has been a member of Los Romeros since 196o and is a world-renowned classical and flamenco guitarist. He is particularly famous for his outstanding technique and colorful musical interpretations on the instrument. Tonight's performance in from the 2011 Guitar Arts Festival in Belgrade, Serbia.  Romero appears in concert with Camerata Serbica under the baton of Marcelo Rota.  His play list includes Rodrigo's Conceirto de Aranjuez and Tarrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

For your visual entertainment I have some exquisite photographs of lithesome and muscular men who are all Naked or Nearly So posted down below.  There is also additional visual inspiration in the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for sharing part of your Weekend with me, be sure to check in next week as we continue our look at the Giants of the Guitar as we begin our focus on The Composers.  Join me for another week of Music, Men and More!  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Performers V

Well, we have made it to Friday and the Weekend is upon us.  Hoo-Fucking-Ray!!!  It has been a fun week as we have enjoined our celebration of International Guitar Month with our series on the Giants of the Guitar.  This week our focus has been on The Performers with an all star line up starting with Andres Segovia. In the world of Classical Guitar, it always starts with Segovia.  Narciso Yepes, John Williams and Julian Bream were all either taught or influenced by Segovia and today's featured performer follows in the footsteps of that legacy as well.  

Our friend Wikipedia tells us this about...

... The First Lady of Classical Guitar, Sharon Isbin.  Isbin was born in Minneapolis, MN, the daughter of Katherine (Brudnoy) Isbin and Herbert S. Isbin, a nuclear scientist and professor at the University of Minnesota and author of Introductory Nuclear Reactor Theory (1963).  She began her guitar studies at age nine in Varese, Italy, where her father had been hired as a consultant.   She was a student of Aldo Minella, Jeffrey Van, Andrés Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia, Alirio Díaz, and the noted keyboard artist and Bach scholar Rosalyn Tureck. Isbin collaborated with Dr. Tureck in preparing and recording landmark first performance editions of the Bach lute suites for guitar (published by G. Schirmer). 

Multi-Grammy Award winner Sharon Isbin is the author of the Classical Guitar Answer Book, and is director of the Guitar Department at the Aspen Music Festival[6] and the Guitar Department at The Juilliard School which she created in 1989. Isbin has been hailed by Boston as "the pre-eminent guitarist of our time".  She is also the winner of Guitar Player magazine's "Best Classical Guitarist" award, First Prize winner of the Toronto Guitar '75 competition, a winner of the Madrid Queen Sofia, and the first guitarist ever to win the Munich Competition.  A one-hour documentary on her titled Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, produced by Susan Dangel, was presented by American Public Television for broadcast on nearly 200 public television stations throughout the US beginning in November 2014.

Isbin has appeared as soloist with over 170 orchestras, and has commissioned more concerti than any other guitarist, including concerti by John Corigliano, Tan Dun, Aaron Jay Kernis, Joseph Schwantner, Lukas Foss, Chris Brubeck and Christopher Rouse. Other composers who have written for her include Joan Tower, David Diamond, Ned Rorem, Howard Shore, John Duarte, Leo Brouwer, Bruce MacCombie, Steve Vai and Richard Danielpour.  Isbin's catalogue of over 25 recordings ranges from Baroque, Spanish/Latin and 20th century to crossover and jazz-fusion. In October 2014, Warner Classics released a 5-CD box set of her most popular albums on the label titled Sharon Isbin: 5 Classic Albums.  

I have an intimate encounter with Sharon recorded live at the inaugural Portland Performing Arts Festival in Portland, MN on June 29, 2012 posted down below.  Isbin presented a diverse program featuring Latin romances for guitar by Tarrega, Albeniz, Granados, and Barrios Mangore, as well as Andecy by Andrew York and the Joan Baez Suite written for her by John Duarte.  The companion piece I have chosen for my tumblr in Isbin's latest CD Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions which became a #1 best seller on Amazon.com, and includes guests Steve Vai, Stanley Jordan, Nancy Wilson, Steve Morse, Romero Lubambo, Rosa Passos, Thiago de Mello, and Paul Winter.

Then with the Weekend bearing down on us like a freight train, it is time to indulge ourselves in a little imagination fascination and this week's edition of Friday's Fantasy Fuel should give you plenty of inspiration.  Then there is the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr who offers you a 'Tropical Tease'.  Thanks for the visit, tune in tomorrow to see which fabulous live performance I have picked out for the Giants of The Guitar Saturday Evening Concert.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Performers IV

Wow, we are sliding down hill towards the Weekend rather quickly, it's amazing how fast time move when you're having fun.  And I am having fun, it has been a great week so far with lots of great Music from our Giants of the Guitar.  Our emphasis on The Performers this week has brought us terrific performances by Andres Segovia, Narciso Yepes, and John Williams thus far.  Today we feature Williams' fellow countryman Guitarist/Lutenist Julian Bream.

Our friend Wikipedia tells us this about our featured Performer:

Julian Bream is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century. He has also been successful in renewing popular interest in the lute.  He was born into a musical family  in London in 1933.  His father was a commercial artist, with an "extraordinary talent for drawing" and a "natural musician" according to Bream.  Bream would lie under the piano in "ecstasy" when his father played.  His grandmother owned a pub in Battersea, and Bream spent much time there during his youth. His father played jazz guitar and the young Bream was impressed by hearing the playing of Django Reinhardt.  

Bream began his lifelong association with the guitar by strumming along on a small gut-string Spanish guitar at an early age to dance music on the radio. He become frustrated with his lack of knowledge of harmony, so read instruction books by Eddie Lang to teach himself.  His father taught him the rudimentary basics. The president of the Philharmonic Society of Guitars, Dr Boris Perott, gave Bream further lessons, while his father became the society librarian, giving young Bream access to a large collection of rare music.

On his 11th birthday, Bream was given a guitar by his father. He became something of a child prodigy, at 12 winning a junior exhibition award for his piano playing, enabling him to study piano and cello at the Royal College of Music. In 1947, aged 13, he made his debut guitar recital at Cheltenham. 

Leaving the RCM in 1952, Bream was called up into the army for national service. He was originally drafted into the Pay Corps, but managed to sign up for the Royal Artillery Band after six months. This required him to be stationed in Woolwich, which allowed him to moonlight regularly in London with the guitar.

After three and a half years in the army, he took any musical jobs that came his way, including background music for radio plays and films. Commercial film, recording session and work for the BBC were important to Bream throughout the 1950s and the early 1960s.  He played part of a recital at the Wigmore Hall on the lute in 1952 and since has done much to bring music written for the instrument to light.

1960 saw the formation of the Julian Bream Consort, a period-instrument ensemble with Bream as lutenist. The consort led a great revival of interest in the music of the Elizabethan era.  Bream pursued a busy career playing around the world, his first European tours took place in 1954 and 1955, followed (beginning in 1958) by extensive touring in the Far East, India, Australia, the Pacific Islands and other parts of the world. Bream performed for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston, first solo in 1959, and later with the US debut of his Consort.  In addition to master classes given in North America, Bream has conducted an international summer school in Wiltshire, England.  You will remember I told you yesterday about the Grammy he shared with John Williams in 1973 for Julian and John. 

I have a great bit of video to illustrate the charm and vibrance of one of his live recitals.  This performance was broadcast live on the BBC 2 on 01 Feb 1978.  Julian Bream performs works by Bach, Villa-Lobos, Albeniz and Britten at Old Wardour Castle before a live audience.  For a companion piece, I have chosen Bream's 20th Century Guitar LP from 1967 with works only by 20th Century Composers which you will find duly posted on my tumblr.

You may indulge yourself in the delights found in these darling dudes in denim when you scroll down to this week's edition of Men In Jeans down below.  Be sure to check out the 'Awesome Aussie' Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr also.   Thanks for stopping in, tune in tomorrow when we profile the First Lady among our Giants of the Guitar.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Performers III

Here it is Hump Day and we find ourselves in the midst of a great week looking at the Music of the Giants of the Guitar.  This week we are looking at the Performers and next week we will get in as many of the Composers as will fit.  Today's featured Performer is a direct legacy of Andres Segovia, Grammy winner John Williams.  He is not to be confused with  Film Composer and Academy Award winner John Williams.   Our John Williams was born in Melborne,  Australia to a British father and an Aussie Mum.  His first teacher was his father, Guitarist Len Williams, who moved the family to London in 1952.  

From the age of eleven he attended summer courses with Andrés Segovia at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Later, Williams attended the Royal College of Music in London from 1956 to 1959, studying piano because the college did not have a guitar department at the time. Upon graduation, he was offered the opportunity to create such a department. He took the opportunity and ran the department for its first two years. Williams has maintained links with the college (and with the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester) ever since.  His Grammy, which he shared with Guitarist/Lutenist Julian Bream for Julian and John,  win came in 1973.  (We will talk more about Julian tomorrow) His Concert and Recording career spans 7 decades and shows no sign of stopping as he is still currently performing world wide.  

I have two LP's to share with you today between here and my tumblr.  Posted below is John Williams Plays Bach The Four Lute Suites on Guitar.  The play list includes Suite No. 1 in E minor for Lute, BWV 996; Suite (Partita) in A minor, BWV 997 (originally in C minor); Lute Suite No. 4 in E Major, BWV 1006a and Suite in A minor for Lute, BWV 995.  Over on my tumblr, John takes us on a Musical Journey through 500 Years of Guitar. 

Of course Hump Day would not be complete with out a little celebration and splash about as we crest the hump and get started down hill towards the Weekend.  You will find Uncle Gerry's prescription for sore eyes in this edition of Wet Wednesday posted down below.  Additional visual inspiration may be viewed in the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for sharing some time with me today, tune in tomorrow for our look at Julian Bream, our next Giant of the Guitar.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Performers II

Happy Tuesday all.  We continue our look at the Giants of the Guitar and this week's focus on The Performers.  Some 34 years after Segovia was born, in the small town of Lorca in the Murcia region of Spain, another legend was born in humble circumstances.  Narciso Yepes' father gave him his first guitar when he was four years old, and brought the boy five miles on a donkey to and from lessons three days a week. He took his first lessons from Jesus Guevara, in Lorca. Later his family moved to Valencia when the Spanish Civil War started in 1936.

When he was 13, he was accepted to study at the Conservatorio de Valencia with the pianist and composer Vicente Asencio. Here he followed courses in harmony, composition, and performance. Yepes is credited by many with developing the A-M-I technique of playing notes with the ring (Anular), middle (Medio), and index (Indice) fingers of the right hand.[1] Guitar teachers traditionally taught their students to play by alternating the index and middle fingers, or I-M. However, since Yepes studied under teachers who were not guitarists, they pushed him to expand on the traditional technique. According to Yepes, Asencio "was a pianist who loathed the guitar because a guitarist couldn't play scales very fast and very legato, as on a piano or a violin. 'If you can't play like that,' he told me, 'you must take up another instrument.'" Through practice and improvement in his technique, Yepes could match Asencio's piano scales on the guitar. "'So,' he [Asencio] said, 'it's possible on the guitar. Now play that fast in thirds, then in chromatic thirds.'"[2] Allan Kozinn observed that, "Thanks to Mr. Asencio's goading, Mr. Yepes learned "to play music the way I want, not the way the guitar wants."[3] Similarly, the composer, violinist, and pianist George Enescu would also push Yepes to improve his technique, which also allowed him to play with greater speed.[4]

On 16 December 1947 he made his Madrid début, performing Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with Ataúlfo Argenta conducting the Spanish National Orchestra. The overwhelming success of this performance brought him renown from critics and public alike. Soon afterwards, he began to tour with Argenta, visiting Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France. During this time he was largely responsible for the growing popularity of the Concierto de Aranjuez, and made two early recordings, both with Argenta[5] – one in mono with the Madrid Chamber Orchestra (released between 1953 and 1955),[6] and the second in stereo with the Orquesta Nacional de España (recorded in 1957 and released in 1959).[7]

Now as an established Concert and Recording Artist on the six string Classical Guitar, in the early 1960's, Yepes began working with renowned luthier Jose Ramirez III to develop a new 10 string Classical Guitar.  In 1964, when Yepes appeared in concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performing Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, he debuted his new guitar.  The new 10 string Guitar with a specific tuning designed to supply sympathetic string resonance to all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, in unison with any note played on the treble strings. This was significant for two reasons:

• The endorsement of an artist of Yepes' calibre drew attention to the instrument, and demonstrated its capabilities. Starting in 1963, and for the rest of his life, Yepes used only the ten-string guitar in recording and performance.

• The availability of high-quality ten-string classical guitars from the Ramírez Company allowed and encouraged other performers to investigate the instrument.

The use of the ten-string classical guitar is similar to that of the harp guitar:

• Six-string guitar music can be played on the first six strings, but with added resonance from the extra strings. This was Yepes' original intention and the reason for the design.

• Music specifically arranged for the instrument can make use of the extra strings directly, thus:
  • Music originally written for instruments with more than six strings can be more faithfully transcribed. Music written by Bach and his contemporaries for lute is of particular interest in this regard. The bass strings can be appropriately tuned.
  • New music specifically written for the ten-string guitar can make use of the extra strings however the composer might wish.

Unlike the harp guitar, the extended-range classical guitar has a single neck and allows all strings to be fretted.  While the six-string classical guitar remains the standard and most common instrument, since 1963 ten-string guitars in similar configuration to the original Ramírez have been adopted by many classical guitarists and produced by several first-class luthiers, using both Yepes' original tuning and others.

In today's video presentation the legendary Narciso Yepes performs an 80 minute solo recital, plus 25 minutes of encores, on the ten-string guitar of his own conception, at the Teatro Real de Madrid, in 1979. This is without electronic amplification of the guitar, as Yepes always insisted, but with his improved sitting position and revolutionary right hand technique, which, together with his 10-string guitar's sympathetic resonance, optimize tone quality and projection. (The microphone seen is for the video's audio recording only, not for amplification.)  The companion piece I have chosen for my tumblr today is "Chaconne" by Johann Sebastian Bach with Yepes in concert at Carnegie Hall in 1982.  One reviewer of the Concert said:

'Guitar concerts in Carnegie Hall can be a frustrating affair. Narciso Yepes brought his 10-string invention there last Thursday, and suddenly it was not a problem hearing that instrument in that space.

'His guitar fills the hall with sound. The musician who plucks it is one of the finest in the world today. The second half of the program was devoted entirely to 20th-century works, an intriguing survey of music - for an apparently limited instrument - that was at once engrossing yet challenging. Of greatest interest were Eduardo Sainz de la Maza's ''Laberinto,'' with its jazzy undercurrent, and Leonardo Balada's supremely virtuosic, exciting ''Analogias.''

'Mr. Yepes, who appears to be not much larger than his oversize instrument, is a selfless musician, putting the music before his personality in what could serve as the ideal of any performing artist but so rarely is. One left his recital stimulated and elated, with nary a thought as to the potential limitations of the instrument, dynamically or musically.'

As always, Wikipedia is our friend and has contributed mightily to this post. 

Now the day would not be complete without a a little eye candy to wake up the libido and remind you why you like men in the first place.  This little collection of Random Hotness posted down below should do the 'trick' nicely.  If that is not enough, then head on over to my tumblr where I am sure you will be 'A-dicke-ted' to today's Hottie of the Day!  Thanks for stopping in, tun in tomorrow for another Giant of the Guitar.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Giants of the Guitar - The Performers

 Happy Monday all and welcome to another week of Music, Men and More!  Today we begin our focus on the Giants of the Guitar.  When I conceived this plan, I had no idea the wealth of material I would find in regards to the Classical Guitar, its Music, Composers and its Performance Artists.  There was so much material, I could not possibly do an adequate job of this in just a week, so our focus will be spread over this week and next.  

When I think of Classical Guitar and Spanish Classical Guitar in particular, two names immediately come to mind, Andres Segovia and Joaquin Rodrigo.  Segovia, of course, was perhaps the greatest classical guitarist of all time and Rodrigo was a Composer and virtuoso Pianist.  Rodrigo never mastered the guitar as a performer, but composed some of the finest works ever written for the instrument.  Oddly enough, both men are 20th Century figures with Rodrigo Composing many of the works most endeared by the audiences of Segovia. 

Therein lies the crux of the problem I encountered when trying to come up with a viable plan for this series of posts.  Do I stick with The Performers of which there are a great many or do I go with The Composers whose numbers are greater than those of The Performers.  To resolve the conflict, I have segmented our focus into two parts,  This week then we will look at The Performers among our Giants of the Guitar and next week we will scratch the surface of The Composers of all the glorious music written for the acoustic guitar. 

Unlike the Grand Masters of the Cello and the Grand Pianists, there was not a lot of documentary type footage available on You Tube for these musical artists, so I decided I would focus on their performances which is why they are among the Giants in the first place.  Where else could I start but with Andres Segovia?  Once again Wikipedia is our friend with more on this Giant of the Guitar:

Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (Spanish: [anˈdɾes seˈɣoβja ˈtores]) (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987),[1] known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Spain. He has been regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Many professional classical guitarists today are students of Segovia, or students of his students.[2]

Segovia's contribution to the modern-romantic repertoire not only included commissions but also his own transcriptions of classical or baroque works. He is remembered for his expressive performances: his wide palette of tone, and his distinctive musical personality, phrasing and style.

Segovia's repertoire consisted of three principal pillars. Firstly, contemporary works, including concertos and sonatas, usually specifically written for Segovia himself by composers he forged working relationships with, notably Spaniards such as Federico Moreno Torroba, Federico Mompou, and Joaquín Rodrigo, the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and the great Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Secondly, transcriptions, usually made by Segovia himself,^[26] of classical works originally written for other instruments (e.g., lute, harpsichord, piano, violin, cello) by Johann Sebastian Bach, Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and many other prominent composers. Thirdly, traditional classical guitar works by composers such as Fernando Sor and Francisco Tárrega. Segovia's influence enlarged the repertoire, mainly as a commissioner or dedicatee of new works, as a transcriber, and to a far lesser extent as a composer^[27] with such works as his Estudio sin luz.

Today's video presentation  is of Volume 4 of Segovia's The Baroque Guitar box set of LP's now digitally remastered on CD.  The play list includes the following:

1	–Purcell*	Prelude	0:36
2	–Purcell*	Minuet	1:24
3	–Purcell*	A New Irish Tune	1:03
4	–Purcell*	Jig	1:08
5	–Purcell*	Rondo	1:30
6	–Scarlatti*	Sonata In A (L. 483 / K. 322)	3:36
7	–Handel*	Sonata In D Minor	3:26
8	–Handel*	Fughette	1:00
9	–Handel*	Menuet	3:46
10	–Handel*	Air	2:46
11	–Handel*	Passepied	0:50
12	–Frescobaldi*	Passacaglia	5:25
13	–Frescobaldi*	Corrente	1:30
14	–Weiss*	Fantasie	2:30
15	–Weiss*	Tombeau Sue La Mort De M. Comte D'Logy	5:06
16	–Weiss*	Minuet I - Minuet II	3:46
17	–Bach*	Prelude (From Cello Suite No. 1)	2:10
18	–Bach*	Gavotte (From Cello Suite No. 6)	3:45
19	–Bach*	Bourée (From Lute Suite In E Minor, BWV 996)	1:26
20	–Bach*	Bourée (From Violin Partita No. 1)	3:27
21	–Bach*	Courante (From Cello Suite No. 3)	2:47
22	–Handel*	Allegretto Grazioso	2:45
23	–Handel*	Gavotte	1:18
24	–Handel*	Minuet	2:17
25	–Handel*	Sarabande	3:50
26	–Scarlatti*	Sonata (L. 79 / K. 391)	2:45

The companion piece over on my tumblr is Segovia's The Spanish Guitar: My Favorite Works Volume 3.  While there, you may want to check out your Hottie of the Day!, Toby Tucker.  However, before you head over to my tumblr, be sure to indulge your underwear fetish with this collection of hunks and hotties in their Monday's Undies posted down below.  Tune in tomorrow to find the identity of the next Performer among our Giants of the Guitar.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!