This is one of my favorite pieces, and I’m fairly particular about it. This is the second movement, Andante, of the Sonatina in A by Frederico Moreno Torroba. It was first performed in Paris in 1925 by Andres Segovia to a private audience, which included Maurice Ravel; who, it is said, was very impressed by this work. I like the second and third movements best (the Andante and Allegro), although the first movement is definitely worthwhile.
My main complaint with this piece is that most people try to play it too fast. It doesn’t work so well like that. It’s much better played a bit behind the beat, shuffle-style, as one very long cadenza passage. If you try to play it in time, it comes out too dry. It needs to be felt from the heart, expressed tentatively.
The dynamics of the piece are very important, and this is where I have a bit of trouble with it. It’s never quite perfect, and requires a great deal of work.
Here is a video of a fellow from Eastern Michigan University playing it at a recital. It’s one of the best that I’ve heard, and I have heard quite a few. He hurries the first chord a bit (the first D in the D C D), and in a few other places. The dynamics are not observed consistently throughout. But other than that, I would call this an excellent performance; one of the best around.
The performer is Jonathan Edwards, and I’ve never heard of him before. Nevertheless, he shows great promise, and I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.
My main complaint with this piece is that most people try to play it too fast. It doesn’t work so well like that. It’s much better played a bit behind the beat, shuffle-style, as one very long cadenza passage. If you try to play it in time, it comes out too dry. It needs to be felt from the heart, expressed tentatively.
The dynamics of the piece are very important, and this is where I have a bit of trouble with it. It’s never quite perfect, and requires a great deal of work.
Here is a video of a fellow from Eastern Michigan University playing it at a recital. It’s one of the best that I’ve heard, and I have heard quite a few. He hurries the first chord a bit (the first D in the D C D), and in a few other places. The dynamics are not observed consistently throughout. But other than that, I would call this an excellent performance; one of the best around.
The performer is Jonathan Edwards, and I’ve never heard of him before. Nevertheless, he shows great promise, and I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.
I hope that you enjoy this as much as I do. It would be a rare thing to see any better performance of this wonderful piece (unless, of course, you happen to come to visit).
UPDATE:
I had to put this here, because the comments section would not accept it.
Here's another piece that I find I'm getting a bit particular about, and for the same reasons. I find that noteworthy because it's so ridiculously simple, it seems like it would be difficult to mess it up. But I see a lot of people butchering it. Terrible.
This one is one of this things that's sort of obligatory to the repertoire. Just about everybody does it.
I have two recordings of this one; one by Parkening (which is incredibly fast), and another by Eduardo Fernandez (who does it much better). The fellow in the video does it better than either one of them. As far as recordings, I prefer the Richard Cobo.
I really don't know as much about Brouwer as I would like. There's only a few of his pieces that I'm familiar with.
I've gotten to where I browse through these things because of all of the commercials on Pandora anymore.
UPDATE:
I had to put this here, because the comments section would not accept it.
Here's another piece that I find I'm getting a bit particular about, and for the same reasons. I find that noteworthy because it's so ridiculously simple, it seems like it would be difficult to mess it up. But I see a lot of people butchering it. Terrible.
This one is one of this things that's sort of obligatory to the repertoire. Just about everybody does it.
I have two recordings of this one; one by Parkening (which is incredibly fast), and another by Eduardo Fernandez (who does it much better). The fellow in the video does it better than either one of them. As far as recordings, I prefer the Richard Cobo.
I really don't know as much about Brouwer as I would like. There's only a few of his pieces that I'm familiar with.
I've gotten to where I browse through these things because of all of the commercials on Pandora anymore.
4 comments:
That's a gorgeous piece of music. Do you know of a recording of Moreno Torroba's guitar pieces that you'd be able to recommend?
I'm glad you liked it.
Andres Segovia and Norbert Kraft both have recordings of the Andante that are very, very good. Segovia is a bit more airy, more free with the rhythm, and Kraft is more lilting, more persuasive with the dynamics. I would go with the Kraft.
The Kraft recording of the Andante appears on "Guitar Favourites" and "Popular Guitar Music." The "Romanza" from Paganini's Grand Sonate is also a highlight on these two releases.
Julian Bream recorded the Andante, but he plays it like it's Bach or something. I can't believe that I'm knocking on Julian Bream (I really like him), but it's the truth.
Christopher Parkening also has several selections by Moreno Torroba on his "Tribute to Segovia," but not the Andante. Too bad, that.
I seem inclined to heresy at this point. First, I choose Norbert Kraft over Segovia, right before I start knocking on Julian Bream.
Denis Azabagic has a recording with the entirety of the Sonatina, but I don't care for his interpretation of the Andante as well as the others mentioned. Timo Karhonen also has the Sonatina in its entirety, but I can't vouch for it one way or the other.
Ana Vidovic has a recording of the complete Castillos de España and Las puertas de Madrid, which has a lot of interesting material, but nothing from the Sonatina.
There you have it, the long and the short of it (and, as typical, I give the long of it before I out with the short).
One of the two by Norbert Kraft for the Andante, and Ana Vidovic for something with more Moreno Torroba. I think you would be quite pleased with either one.
Hi Mercutio
Both pieces are beautiful and I agree the first is very good for presumably a virtually unknown artist?
Best wishes
I am hapy that you enjoyed them.
I believe that one comes from a semester-end student recital (were it a graduation recital, he would have been more formally dressed).
Also, that one really is an advanced piece. There are a number of harmonics which are fretted by the right thumb and plucked with the right forefinger (p). You can see him doing it at the 12th fret on the low E (tuned to D) at 0:22 in, and again at 0:26. This part repeats, and there are other such harmonics toward the end of the piece.
He performs it masterfully. The tone is clear and ringing, not muted or dull.
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