Joaquín Rodrigo; Manuel Ponce; Luigi Boccherini - Guitar Concertos (Andrés Segovia)

Information

Composer: Joaquín Rodrigo; Manuel Ponce; Luigi Boccherini

• Rodrigo - Fantasía para un gentilhombre
• Ponce - Concierto del sur
• Boccherini - Cello Concerto No. 6, G 479 (arr. Gaspar Cassado for guitar)

Andrés Segovia, guitar

Symphony of the Air

Enrique Jordá, conductor

Date: 1958; 1961

Label: Deutsche Grammophon

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Review

This attractive disc, volume I of Deutsche Grammophon's Segovia Collection, contains the Spanish (Andalusian, to be more precise) master's performances of three guitar concertos: Joaquín Rodrigo's Fantasía para un gentilhombre, Luigi Boccherini's Concerto in E major, and Manuel Ponce's Concierto del sur. Listening to Segovia play with the orchestra is a particularly rewarding experience, as his solo playing often evokes the richness of an instrumental ensemble. For example, in his interpretation of Rodrigo's work, Segovia employs his extraordinary sonic palette to blend into the rich orchestration and sonic imagery, also entering into a dialogue with particular instruments of the orchestra. However, there is an indescribable quality in Segovia's playing that clearly establishes the guitar as a dominant voice in this work. Indeed, one only has to listen to the solo part to fully experience the elegance, gentle melancholy, and archaic majesty of Rodrigo's Concierto. Segovia's multi-faceted virtuosity is perfectly suited for the bright energy, expansive lyricism, and subtle exoticism of Ponce's concerto, a work that offers Segovia an opportunity to explore the immense sonic resources of the guitar. Equally extraordinary is his performance of Boccherini's Concerto in E major, a transcription by the great Spanish cellist Gaspar Cassado of a cello concerto in D major. According to the liner notes, Cassado's transcription was inspired by Segovia's performance of two guitar concertos. By transforming a charming cello concerto into an exquisite work for guitar, in the limpid sonority of E major, Cassado created a unique work of art. Even excellent performances of the cello concerto are no match for Segovia, whose impeccable playing captures the gentle, refined essence of Boccherini's music.

— Zoran Minderovic (reviewing The Segovia Collection, Vol. 1 DG 4775475)

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Joaquín Rodrigo (22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999) was a Spanish composer. Despite losing his sight at age three, he pursued music from childhood and later studied with Paul Dukas and Manuel de Falla. In 1940 he gained international acclaim with his Concierto de Aranjuez, which established him as Spain's leading post-Civil War composer. Rodrigo served as adviser for national radio and held the Manuel de Falla Chair at the Complutense University of Madrid. Though celebrated for his guitar works, he also composed concerti for various instruments, as well as an opera, ballet, piano pieces, and numerous songs.

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Manuel Ponce (8 December 1882 – 24 April 1948) was a Mexican composer. After early studies in Mexico, he trained in Italy and Germany before returning to teach at the National Conservatory. Ponce bridged classical music with Mexican folk traditions, promoting national identity through works that blended popular melodies and classical forms. His 1912 piece Estrellita became an international success, helping earn him the title "Creator of the Modern Mexican Song". He also made major contributions to guitar repertoire, notably with Variations and Fugue on La Folia and Sonatina Meridional.

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Luigi Boccherini (19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian composer and virtuoso cellist. A prodigy, he debuted at thirteen and studied in Lucca and Rome before beginning an international career that took him to Vienna, Milan, Paris and Madrid. Under aristocratic patronage, he composed prolifically, producing more than 120 string quintets, 100 quartets, dozens of trios, symphonies and cello concertos. Admired in major European capitals, he nonetheless faced poverty late in life. His largely instrumental output, shaped by court demands and his own cello expertise, remains central to classical chamber music repertoire.

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Andrés Segovia (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso who transformed the guitar into a respected concert instrument in the 20th century. Largely self-taught, he developed his own technique when qualified teachers were scarce. After his 1909 debut in Granada, he quickly gained international recognition, performing across Europe and the Americas by the 1920s. Segovia greatly expanded the guitar repertoire through more than 150 transcriptions of earlier works and by inspiring major composers, including Villa-Lobos, Turina, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Ponce, to write for the instrument.

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