Guitar Solos

Best of the Best

I've been playing classical guitar for over 35 years, both as a professional and now as a hobby. Pepe's versions of Albeniz's song of Sevilla and Granada, on this recording, are the best I've ever heard. Pepe is the "best of the best" when expressing the soul of Spanish music. He was born in Malaga, Spain, which helps understand the sympathies and sensitivities he brings to the music on this album. He plays the music of a Granados, Albeniz and Tarrega with an inbred understanding. He plays his father's music as if he had written it. This album ranks as one of Pepe's best recordings. This album,plus the album of duets, entitled "Famous Spanish Dances",which he recorded with his brother Celin, are a MUST for any classical guitar enthusiast's library. Buy these recordings, if you can. They will bring you hours of pleasure. February 2, 2007

"Authentic" style Spanish guitar music

A previous reviewer correctly pointed out Pepe Romero's interpretive style as "flamenco influenced" as opposed to the usual "classical guitar" style. This is because Pepe Romero was in fact a flamenco guitarist during his early career, only moving towards the classical repetoire his father performed some years later. This background has always shown itself in his performances so obviously, one hears the traditional flamenco flourishes and soul in his playing in these pieces. Mind you, Romero is not employing a 100% flamenco approach and technique here, but the interpretive leaning is apparent... it can be more accurately described as a mixture of the 2: flamenco fire tempered with classical sensibility and control.

And for the music of Spanish composers such as Albeniz, Granados and Tarrega, this is a very effective approach. Pepe Romero's sound and interprative style... his warm, dark, romantic tone... is one the general public most associates with when they hear the term "Spanish guitar". This isn't the case with the majority of classical guitarists today whose sounds and playing styles can easily make one no think of a variety of other instruments (such as a lute or harpsicord) despite the fact that they play the same instrument Pepe Romero does. Many classical guitarists today focus more on achieving a piano-like consistant sound, and would consider it an disservice to Albeniz or Tarrega to play thier works in any other way but strictly "serious", often nullyfying the unique Spanish characteristics of the music. Pepe Romero takes the opposite approach, he revels in bringing out the more Spanish-folk elements of the music and highlighting them to full effect with either explosive rasguado strumming or emphasizing the dance rhythm or a flurry of blazing spontaneuos scales... the listener simply does not imagine any other instrument but the guitar being able to do this. I would more properly categorize this CD as "Spanish guitar" as opposed to "Classical guitar".

In Pepe Romero's hands, "Sevilla" by Albeniz sounds very spontaneous and fresh, like a brilliant flamenco improvisation... yet at the very same time, refined and elegantly controlled. "Granada" sounds almost like an old familiar folk song to those of us who have heard this piece hundreds of times before. "Rumores de la Caleta" is always performed in the strict piano-like interpretation by classical guitarists. However, Pepe Romero throws caution to the wind and gives us fiery flamenco-styled strumming to replace the usual opening rolling arpeggios. One can almost hear the fierce tapping of a flamenco dancer in Romero's precussive type of chord changes. Indeed, Romero's interpretation allows these images to come to mind where the piano originals never seemed to.

Granados' "Andaluza" is a bit slower than I'm normally accustomed to, yet it's beauty is revealed in a very controlled manner. The Tarrega pieces also take on a new look with some more fiery passagework we don't usually hear, including "Capricho Arabe" which here is highly evocative and more clearly connects to its Moorish idea.

I wasn't crazy about Sor's "Variations on a Theme of Mozart" because it's overplayed and I've never been a fan of Romero's interpretations of this period of music. His style just isn't a good fit for Sor, other than a show of virtuosity. I could have done without this track.

Overall highly reccomended.
January 3, 2005

Very disappointed

Pepe Romero is a fine guitarist, and I like his more recent recordings very much, especially his guitar concerto recordings. However, this CD is a disappointment. The main problem is the horrible recording quality; if you like a muffled, tin can, heavy reverb sound, this may not be a problem for you. And if you like a flamenco-influenced style more than the classical guitar style, then you might be satisfied with these recordings as well. I prefer, for example, Parkening's version of "Rumores de la Caleta" and Williams' performance of "Leyenda." These criticisms notwithstanding, Romero is still one of the best guitarists around. His performance of "Fantasia para un Gentilhombre" with Academy of St. Martin is one of my favorites. May 29, 2003

Pepe Romero is the greatest living guitarist ...

and perhaps the greatest guitarist of the 20th century (and so far of the 21st too). This CD (which should probably have been titled "Spanish Guitar Solos" since that's all there is on it) contains plenty of evidence in favor of this opinion. Although each track showcases Pepe's flawless technique and inspired interpretations, my favorite is "Rumores de la Calleta," into which Pepe incorporates magnificent flamenco strumming. I must disagree with a previous review, which criticizes the speed at which Pepe plays "Les Jeux Interdits" and "Variations on a Theme of Mozart." The former, which he plays according to an AA/BB/A structure, would become tedious if played at a slower tempo, and the latter is intended to be a virtuosic display; Pepe's performance of it is the most exciting I've yet heard. My one criticism of the CD (not serious enough to remove a star) is that several of its tracks are to be found on another Pepe Romero CD, viz. "Spanish Guitar Favorites." But if you already have that one, this CD is worth having anyway, if only to hear Pepe play "Sevilla" with the kind of crisp vivacity only he can produce. January 14, 2003

Nice selection, execution is a matter of taste.

Mr Romero has chosen a sound collection of Solo guitar pieces, although It seems that his foremost interest is to display his virtuoso prowess, which somewhat taints the fair. 'Romance' is played far too fast, even a beginning student would be chastised for this. Variations by Sor is also so fast it's silly, all the character of the piece is lost. This CD is very much a matter of taste, some of the pieces are wonderfully played, but I would prefer a more stylish approach. October 22, 2001

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