Isaac Albeniz: Transcribed by Jose – Luis Narvaez
Bergmann Edition: Score and separate parts: (10, 5 and 5 pages respectively)
Over the years there have been dozens of different arrangements of this extremely well loved piano piece, although how many of you out there have actually heard or played the piano original? Not many, I bet! The over-riding versions though are for guitar solo, and if they are not actually in print there are many more recorded and listed as ‘arranged by’ that obviously are in the player’s private files at his/her home .
Here however is a two -guitar version, which has the key set at Gm, and so guitar two is for a guitar with 5th string to G and 6th to D, and guitar one is written a third lower in Em on the score but with the direction to place a capo on fret three, to take it back up to Gm.
But the main question is, whether it works better as a duet or not, and the answer is a resounding ‘yes!’ for now the actual complete piano part can have a much better chance at being completely playable throughout.
So what you do get here is as close to the original as is humanly possible on two guitars, with several places where it really makes a huge difference. If you find that hard to believe, just look on you tube and put the transcriber’s name in as well as the title, and up comes a live performance that will really change your mind.
So, all considered, this is a very worthwhile publication, that I hope becomes the standard arrangement for two guitars, as it utterly deserves to be. Fabulous!
Chris Dumigan