Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Isaac Albeniz, Fernando Sor :: Spanish Guitar Music

Coughing, clapping spoils listening pleasure.

Conrad | Stellenbosch, South Africa | 06/30/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Do you want to compare the old and the new in the Spanish Guitar recordings? Then buy this. For me as a non-playing lover of classical guitar, this recording of the master Andres Segovia was unfortunately a disappointment. The master recording was made live somewhere. I could hardly believe my ears when I heard a faint coughing in the second cut, which later on turned into several fits of persistent coughing. Perhaps even more bothersome is the loud burst of applause which the editors deemed fit to include in the recording. This is muted after a few seconds, but not before several silly loud cat-calls of appreciation is heard. This is to be expected in a live concert, but not on a modern CD. Also, the recording certainly does not really reflect Segovia's genius. It seems flat and sharp. As a complete contrast the latter half by Carlos Montoya is melodious and rounded and an absolute pleasure, but the irritation remains. You should certainly not put your player on random play - you will be frightened out of your wits by this sudden gush of clapping. But rather spend your money on other excellent compendiums available, such as 25 Guitar Favorites, or Guitar Favorites from Point Classics. In the Art of the Guitar, the first half is also devoted to Segovia, but fair warning is given on the cover. The clapping was excluded and cough remedies dispensed. The second half has John Williams playing Bach in his inimitable style. Why the 3 stars? For Montoya and the memory of Segovia."

Sloppy, Quick & Easy

Conrad | 10/16/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This seems like a CD in which they found some old recordings of Segovia and Montoya and decided to put them on a CD titled "Spanish Guitar Magic". Half of the CD is Segovia live and the other is Montoya. I could get through the Segovia half without too much pain. There just seems to be something lacking in the performance and sound quality. Although one song that stood out on the CD is "Sevilla" by Albeniz. The Montoya half is so sloppy that even my girlfriend (who doesn't know what a classical guitar is) noticed it."

Rather Unpleasant

Patrick | Georgia, USA | 12/13/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This is surely one of those recordings that someone hoped to make money off of, that wasn't sanctioned by the Segovia estate. First of all, it's a lousy live recording and Segovia wasn't playing his best this night. Second, there is such intrusive coughing and hacking from the audience it makes one cringe. I'm sure the maestro would have been horrified to find himself sharing disc space with a flamenco recording, as he felt he had spent his life redeeming the guitar from its status as "only a flamenco instrument." Don't get me wrong, flamenco done well is beautiful, and Carlos Montoya is a brilliant guitarist, but his part of the recording sounds as if it was done using the cheapest mic possible and played on a cardboard guitar. The only thing keeping this recording from being one star is the genius of two brilliant guitarists managing to peek out from a rotten recording."