ROUSSEL: Segovia; BACH : Prelude BWV999 : SEGOVIA : Three Canciones Populares a) Eslovania b) Bretona c) Escocesa ; Estudio Sin Luz.HAYDN: Minuet from String Quartet Op76 No1: PONCE Prelude in E
Eliot Fisk
Homespun Video: DLFISGT21
This 75 minute DVD takes us deeply into the intricacies of music of Andres Segovia. Eliot Fisk is a protegé of Segovia and a master of classical guitar in his own right, and in this recording he has put together a lesson that is filled with invaluable advice and insights into the Segovia legacy. He explores the music in great detail, focusing on interpretation, musicianship, guitar technique, and Segovia's place in the history of classical guitar.
The DVD begins with Albert Roussel’s piece named Segovia, the only guitar work he composed and a fine beginning to this DVD. An analysis of a Segovia transcription of the Bach Prelude in D Minor BWV999 follows after a performance which, I think was far too fast. Never have I heard anyone else take it at such a breakneck speed, and I don’t think it improved it by taking it that fast. The analysis itself was interesting and thought provoking however. Eliot goes on to explore three of Segovia's remarkable twenty three Canciones Populares which are interpretations of beautiful folk melodies, each one from a different country or region. He follows that with the haunting Estudio Sin Luz ("Study without Light"), written when Segovia was in danger of losing his eyesight and gives the player tips on tone production, hand positions and other classical guitar techniques, and especially ideas on how to interpret the written music. After that there is a beautiful arrangement of Segovia’s of the Minuet from Haydn’s String Quartet Op76 No1 and finally a performance of Manuel Ponce’s Prelude In E which is sometimes heard in its alternative version for guitar and harpsichord (though not here), and yet again another fine interpretation This DVD, taught by an excellent guitarist , is a rare opportunity to learn the technique and deep musicality that made Andres Segovia one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and therefore apart from my problems with the speed of the Bach Prelude , I found this enlightening and entertaining although I would have found it even better had Fisk played some more of the contemporary works by composers such as Tansman, Torroba, Castelnuovo – Tedesco and others of the 20th Century, and therefore perhaps made this 75 minute DVD longer in the process
Chris Dumigan.