Buenas tardes;
¿Qué les parece el rasgueo de Juan Francisco Padilla en "Asturias"? Dentro del CD "Arvum", que con el tiempo será lo que viene llamándose "grabación histórica".
PS: la reseña crítica es de Matthew Warnock
Juan Francisco Padilla “ARVUM”
Posted on January 31, 2011 by Phil
When planning a classical guitar concert program, or picking the tracks for an upcoming recording project, the choice of repertoire is often the most important, and difficult, task to accomplish. Whereas jazz guitarists have a fairly short time period to choose from, roughly 1930 to the present, classical guitarists have a handful of centuries’ worth of repertoire from which to choose. Picking the right program is crucial in a concert or album becoming successful. If it is too focused, perhaps on one era or composer, there is the risk of shunning a certain section of the audience. If the music is too diverse, then the performance might lack the cohesion to keep the audience’s attention. While some guitarists have chosen to focus on one era or composer to avoid this problem, Juan Francisco Padilla features a wide swath of pieces on his latest recording Arvum, and the resulting album is absolutely first rate.
Choosing pieces from several eras of guitar literature, Padilla performs works from the Baroque with works by Scarlatti, Bach and Couperin, from the Spanish traditional with pieces by Albeniz, Granados and De Falla, as well as more modern works by Barrios and Sergio Assad. While this program spans a distance of centuries, Padilla is able to bring them together and bridge the gap of time with his timeless and technically virtuosic interpretations of these classic works for the guitar. A program like this could easily have been distracting or come unglued half-way through in the hands of another performer, but Padilla shines in each era and genre as he leads the listener from Baroque era Germany, through Spain and into present day Brazil, all while keeping his interpretation and musicianship at the absolute highest levels.
As well as having a diverse span of repertoire, covering different eras and composers, the individual pieces are also well chosen, representing some of the masterful works of each era, as well as lesser known pieces to compliment them. Right away one will notice that Padilla chooses to perform Albeniz’s classic work, and probably the most recognizable song for classical guitar, “Asturius,” also commonly known as “Leyenda.” While most performers have abandoned this piece from their repertoire due to it being over played for many years, after listening to Padilla perform the work it is apparent that in the hands of a capable musician this is a masterful piece that deserves to remain in the literature for many years to come. Padilla’s right-hand is absolutely stunning, and the restraint he shows during the slower sections brings out a level of emotion that is rarely felt in this piece. Again, this piece could have been a mistake to program for many other guitarists, but Padilla pulls it off with flying colors.
The glue that holds this album together is not the pieces, though the program does help, but it is the masterful performance that Padilla has given for this recording. His tuning is perfect in any register, there is barely if any left hand noise, certainly not enough to notice, and his right hand is flawless. There are very few people who have the natural talent and work ethic to achieve this level of playing, and Padilla is one of those few. Though his playing is not solely centered around his technique, his musicianship and interpretive skills are excellent and only add to his technical prowess. Even if one is not a fan of the classical guitar, listening to Padilla perform is definitely worth the cost of the album.
Review by Matthew Warnock
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
¿Qué les parece el rasgueo de Juan Francisco Padilla en "Asturias"? Dentro del CD "Arvum", que con el tiempo será lo que viene llamándose "grabación histórica".
PS: la reseña crítica es de Matthew Warnock
Juan Francisco Padilla “ARVUM”
Posted on January 31, 2011 by Phil
When planning a classical guitar concert program, or picking the tracks for an upcoming recording project, the choice of repertoire is often the most important, and difficult, task to accomplish. Whereas jazz guitarists have a fairly short time period to choose from, roughly 1930 to the present, classical guitarists have a handful of centuries’ worth of repertoire from which to choose. Picking the right program is crucial in a concert or album becoming successful. If it is too focused, perhaps on one era or composer, there is the risk of shunning a certain section of the audience. If the music is too diverse, then the performance might lack the cohesion to keep the audience’s attention. While some guitarists have chosen to focus on one era or composer to avoid this problem, Juan Francisco Padilla features a wide swath of pieces on his latest recording Arvum, and the resulting album is absolutely first rate.Choosing pieces from several eras of guitar literature, Padilla performs works from the Baroque with works by Scarlatti, Bach and Couperin, from the Spanish traditional with pieces by Albeniz, Granados and De Falla, as well as more modern works by Barrios and Sergio Assad. While this program spans a distance of centuries, Padilla is able to bring them together and bridge the gap of time with his timeless and technically virtuosic interpretations of these classic works for the guitar. A program like this could easily have been distracting or come unglued half-way through in the hands of another performer, but Padilla shines in each era and genre as he leads the listener from Baroque era Germany, through Spain and into present day Brazil, all while keeping his interpretation and musicianship at the absolute highest levels.
As well as having a diverse span of repertoire, covering different eras and composers, the individual pieces are also well chosen, representing some of the masterful works of each era, as well as lesser known pieces to compliment them. Right away one will notice that Padilla chooses to perform Albeniz’s classic work, and probably the most recognizable song for classical guitar, “Asturius,” also commonly known as “Leyenda.” While most performers have abandoned this piece from their repertoire due to it being over played for many years, after listening to Padilla perform the work it is apparent that in the hands of a capable musician this is a masterful piece that deserves to remain in the literature for many years to come. Padilla’s right-hand is absolutely stunning, and the restraint he shows during the slower sections brings out a level of emotion that is rarely felt in this piece. Again, this piece could have been a mistake to program for many other guitarists, but Padilla pulls it off with flying colors.
The glue that holds this album together is not the pieces, though the program does help, but it is the masterful performance that Padilla has given for this recording. His tuning is perfect in any register, there is barely if any left hand noise, certainly not enough to notice, and his right hand is flawless. There are very few people who have the natural talent and work ethic to achieve this level of playing, and Padilla is one of those few. Though his playing is not solely centered around his technique, his musicianship and interpretive skills are excellent and only add to his technical prowess. Even if one is not a fan of the classical guitar, listening to Padilla perform is definitely worth the cost of the album.
Review by Matthew Warnock
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)