The Legendary Segovia

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Segovia heard in these recordings, made between 1927 and 1939, is quite different from the somewhat enfeebled legend who toured and recorded through his 80s. The flashing virtuosity and color of the best of these 78s compares better with the virtuosic standards of the '90s. Just hearing Tárrega's familiar Recuerdos de la Alhambra in this 1927 recording is enough to convince you that you're listening to one of the great guitar virtuosos of all time. It's unclear why Segovia's often-sentimentalized Bach became so famous, and the transcriptions that lead off this disc are quite unstylish by our contemporary standards. But once you get past those and the following Baroque items, which take up only a few minutes, you're into the romantic and 20th-century repertoire that Segovia played so brilliantly. The amazing transfers make the recordings sound much more recent than they actually are. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

Three Pieces For Lute: Allemande
Three Pieces For Lute: Sarabande
Three Pieces For Lute: Gigue
Three Pieces From Violin Partita No. 1: Sarabande
Three Pieces From Violin Partita No. 1: Bourie
Three Pieces From Violin Partita No. 1: Double
Suite No. 3 (For Solo Cello): Prelude
Suite No. 3 (For Solo Cello): Allemande
Suite No. 3 (For Solo Cello): Courante
Suite No. 3 (For Solo Cello): Sarabande
Suite No. 3 (For Solo Cello): Bourie I - Bourie II
Suite No. 3 (For Solo Cello): Gigue
Prelude For Lute - Bach
Violin Sonata No. 1: Siciliano
Violin Partita No. 3: Gavotte En Rondeau
Violin Partita No. 2: Chaconne

Amazon.com essential recording

This collection of Baroque music consists of works by a composer that Segovia ceaselessly promoted throughout his career: J.S. Bach. As his compatriot Pablo Casals's performances of the Bach cello suites added so much to the great composer's reputation, Segovia's performances of Bach's lute suites and other works greatly enhanced the public's perception of the Leipzig master as the most "universal" of composers. His playing imbues Bach's music with a very special warmth and humanity. This disc is one of the most important and rewarding in the Segovia discography. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

I can't get enough of this CD.......2002-02-23

Andres Segovia, for my money, is the finest virtuoso guitarist who ever lived. Jimi Hendrix comes in at a close second because of his craftsmanship and highly innovative style. But there was something about Segovia that separated him from everyone else, regardless of genre.

The last review (from Mickey) reminded me there are more important elements to a musician than his or her technical skills. The "warmth and spirituality," as astutely noted by Mickey, are the seminal elements that make Segovia's playing so special. He brought Bach's compositions to life, and his interpretation of them here is compelling.

My music collection graces almost the entire gamut of music genres, from opera and classical guitar to hardcore and death metal. I'm proud to have Segovia's music in my collection. This is mandatory listening for anyone who cherishes quality music, especially those who are partial towards virtuoso guitar. I love it!

Segovia Is THE Master.......2001-07-12

Perhaps some of today's best classical guitarists have surpassed Segovia's pure technical ability, but the warmth and spirituality that Segovia brings to his playing will forever remain unsurpassed. In this particular CD, Segovia(he was very much a Bach specialist) brings not only life but an almost spiritual warmth to these Bach pieces, originally for lute, cello, and violin. Segovia shows why he is the greatest of all classical guitarists, one of the greatest musicians of the century and one of the few truly great interpreters of Bach(along with fellow spaniard and cellist Pablo Casals, pianists Glenn Gould and Rosalyn Tureck, and violinist Rachel Podger). Get this if you love guitar, get this if you love music, and get this if you love Bach. This album truly has some of the greatest interpretations of Bach pieces on record.

Bravo!.......2001-05-07

Segovia's a genius! Being a violinist, I haven't been moved by any guitar renditions of violin works. Segovia's recording is an exception. His interpretation of the Bach Chaconne is as captivating as any violin recordings. It's masterful.

The Soul of Bach.......2001-03-15

Anyone who was enchanted by Yo Yo Ma's recent video compilation of Bach's cello suites and who has an ear for guitar will also find something special here. Segovia brings a reverence and timelesness to these works, all of them ineffable masterpieces. While recording techniques and outright virtuosity have continued to develop since these recordings (Williams in the Lute Suites, Bream/Barrueco in the Chaconne, Sollscher/Galbraith and others in the Cello Suites) the sense of discovery and sheer love of beauty shine through as strongly as ever. These recordings will be around for a long time to come, but jump right in and be enchanted by as accurate and unwavering an account of these works as you ever thought possible.

That's it.......2000-08-12

Segovia loves guitar. He DOES loves it. All this can be heard in this cd, the whole Bach work, half of them adapted for guitar by segovia himself. And you will find that only a true artist can play and sing like this, confident, self-contained, even smiling in his own world . There is needless to judge such a performance. This is true excellent music.

Average customer rating:

Editorial review
Great Track Selection but Not So Great Sound!
ALL SEGOVIA IS GREAT
Nice but Noisy
Exceptional guitar work

The Legendary Segovia
Andres Segovia , Johann Sebastian Bach , Fernando Sor , Joaquin Turina , Manuel Ponce , Enrique Granados , Isaac Albeniz , Robert de Visee , and Felix Mendelssohn
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Art of Segovia
The Best of Andrés Segovia: The Millennium Collection
Segovia: The Great Master
The Segovia Collection
Andrés Segovia: 1927 - 1939 Recordings, Volume 1

ASIN: B00000I3VA
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

Cello Suite in G major BWV 1007: Prelude
Partita No.3 in E BWV 1006: Gavotte & Rondo
Prelude in C minor for Lute BWV 999
Theme varie, Op.9
Menuet
Gigue
Vivo e energico
String Quartet No1 in E-flat maj, Op12: Canzonetta
Serenata
Suite Espanola - No.1: Granada
Suite Espanola - No.3: Sevilla
Danza Espanola No.10 in G major, Op.37
Fandanguillo
Suite Castellan: Fandanguillo
Sonatina In A Major: Allegretto
Preludio
Nocturno
Petite Valse
Suite In A Major: Prelude: Allemande
Suite In A Major: Gavotte
Suite In A Major: Sarabande
Suite In A Major: Gigue
Recuredos de la Alhambra

Amazon.com

The Segovia heard in these recordings, made between 1927 and 1939, is quite different from the somewhat enfeebled legend who toured and recorded through his 80s. The flashing virtuosity and color of the best of these 78s compares better with the virtuosic standards of the '90s. Just hearing Tárrega's familiar Recuerdos de la Alhambra in this 1927 recording is enough to convince you that you're listening to one of the great guitar virtuosos of all time. It's unclear why Segovia's often-sentimentalized Bach became so famous, and the transcriptions that lead off this disc are quite unstylish by our contemporary standards. But once you get past those and the following Baroque items, which take up only a few minutes, you're into the romantic and 20th-century repertoire that Segovia played so brilliantly. The amazing transfers make the recordings sound much more recent than they actually are. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Editorial review.......2007-02-23

I don't agree with Leslie Gerber's editorial review of this disc, Segovia's playing of Bach is beautiful and he infuses this music which is so easy to play in a sterile fashion with great attention to the melodic line, contrapuntal texture and form, skills which are often sadly lacking in todays performances of Bach. Leslie Gerber blindly follows the politically correct mood of the day which is to deny that there is any romance in this music, truly great performers don't just play the dots they bring something special of their own to the music, a point completely missed by Leslie Gerber and other critics and commentators of her kind.

.

Great Track Selection but Not So Great Sound!.......2006-05-21

This is a good sampling of the great master's earlier works and I suppose given the age of the recordings, it's inevitable that the sound quality would suffer. It doesn't help when this album is recorded in Mono from an ADD master source as well. What this means is that the sound quality is very poor indeed. Given the state-of-the-art sound engineering technology that is out there these days, I hope EMI decides to revisit the vaults and dig up the best preserved master tapes and remaster these in stereo and clean up as much of the sound as is possible for re-release. That would be the only way to do justice to the memory of this all-time guitar great. They've already done this with Django Reinhardt's early work and so it's about time they got around to updating and remastering the Segovia catalog. I, for one, will be waiting for the day with great anticipation...

ALL SEGOVIA IS GREAT.......2005-07-12

Gotta have that slow spanish guitar when things get hectic. Spanish guitar by Segovia (not the more frenetic flamingoists which is another mood) and other slow subtle spanish greats fits a special mood. I usually mix it with nature music, oud, sitar, and Anouar Brahem (all).

Nice but Noisy.......2004-01-21

As a casual fan I was surprised by the noise
on the track. You might choose to hear
the noise as a pleasing retro background. This
CD is probably great for Segovia experts, but
if you're looking for nice background music
just be aware it will sound like the old vinyl
it was remastered from.

Exceptional guitar work.......2002-10-17

Segovia makes his brilliance shine on this compilation. You can't deny the musicianship in these early recordings that, if you are familiar with any of his later sessions, were never left behind. Buy it, you'll love it. I'm sure you'll be scouring for more Segovia to grace you cd player.

The Segovia Collection (Vol. 2): The Legendary Andrés Segovia plays Fantasia para un Gentilhombre, Concierto del Sur, Castles of Spain

Average customer rating:

The best guitarist ever in one of his top !
Bad sonic quality too much to ignore
Sally from Westchester, New York

The Segovia Collection (Vol. 2): The Legendary Andrés Segovia plays Fantasia para un Gentilhombre, Concierto del Sur, Castles of Spain

Manufacturer: MCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Segovia Collection, Volume 9: The Romantic Guitar
The Segovia Collection, Vol. 3: My Favorite Works
Ultimate Guitar Collection
Spanish Guitar Music

ASIN: B000002PGR
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Fantasia para un gentilhombre: Villano y ricercare
Fantasia para un gentilhombre: Espanoleta - Toques de la Caballeria de Napoles
Fantasia para un gentilhombre: Danza de las hachas
Fantasia para un gentilhombre: Canario
Concierto Del Sur: I. Allegro moderato
Concierto Del Sur: II. Andante
Concierto Del Sur: III. Allegro moderato e festivo
Castles Of Spain: I. Turegano (Serranilla)
Castles Of Spain: II. Torija (Elegia)
Castles Of Spain: Manzanares del real (A la moza fermosa)
Castles Of Spain: IV. Montemayor (Contemplacion)
Castles Of Spain: V. Alcaniz (Festiva)
Castles Of Spain: VI. Siguenza (La Infantina duerma)
Castles Of Spain: VII. Alba de Tormes (Trova)
Castles Of Spain: VIII. Alcazar de Segovia (Llamada)

Amazon.com essential recording

This disc features two guitar concerts that were composed expressly for Segovia--Rodrigo's Fantasia para un Gentilhombre and Manual Ponce's Concierto del Sur. Both works have been recorded many times by virtually every major guitarist, but there is something uniquely satisfying in hearing them played by the man who started the "classical guitar craze" of modern times. The Fantasia in particular, with its modern take on Baroque tunes, suits Segovia's stylish and elegant playing perfectly. A slice of history, then, and a satisfying music experience in its own right. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

The best guitarist ever in one of his top !.......2004-11-03

Is there any other Fantasia para un gentilhombre more exuberant and idiomatic than this one?
Segovia made a sublime performance under the conduction of enriquie Jorda and the Symphony of the Air . Elegance , nuance and rapture are some of the multiple reasons you have to acquire this gem
The Ponce Concerto del Sur is extraordinary well played too .
The other superlative recording is the Castles of Spain of Federico Moreno Tórroba . You will find in this piece a set of vignettes a real cornucopia of different spanish flavour pices each one with it particular feature .
A real treasure file !

Bad sonic quality too much to ignore.......2004-06-18

There is some very good music here, from the Rodrigo fantasy based on the music of Gaspar Sanz to Ponce's poetic Concierto del Sur (Concerto of the south). However, the sound quality and execution by Segivia isn't up to standard as in other recodings. At times it seems Segovia's guitar was miked very close to sound extra "boomy" in the bass notes, really obscuring the sound. Some chords seemed to thump along unmusically and I never got the real sense of the melody lines because they were not let to sing to thier fullest.

The same problem continued in the Torroba solo pieces "Castles of Spain". The phrasing to my ears sounded choppy and haphazard, with an unusual tendency to "click" the treble strings in the melody. I first assumed this was due to Segovia's advanced age at the time of the recording. The latest recording here (Castles of Spain) was recorded in 1969. Of course by 1969, recording technology had well advanced far beyond the standards of the 1930's (in fact, the quality of sound reproduction sounded very crisp and clear), but unfortunately Segovia's abilities by 1969 were not as they were in the 30's and 40's and the cleaner recording unfortunately highlighted this fact.

I do recommend this recording for historical value and analysis, especially for Concierto del Sur by Ponce. But I do not recommend this CD for pure listening pleasure. Both guitar concertos have been recorded many times by other players, and for the charming "Castles of Spain" I recommend Christopher Parkening's exquisite versions on "Tribute to Segovia" CD.

Sally from Westchester, New York.......2000-08-01

This is the first time I have reveiwed anything and I am not at all an expert--but this is especially beautiful ( although the Cd The Legendary Segovia which I got at the same time as this one has grown on me--this did not HAVE TO "grow on" me--These two are only my second and third (respectively) Segovia recordings ever-but there will be more --especially from this series-- I highly recommend this one in particular.

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