The Best of Andrés Segovia

• Main performer: Andrés Segovia
• Booklet languages: English
• Time: 53:13
• Release Date: 2004

Review

Is this disc The Best of Andrés Segovia, or is it "Andrés Segovia: The Best?" Actually, it's both. With the guitarist's recordings of four solo works by Bach -- the Prelude from the G major Cello Suite, the Bourée from the E minor Lute Suite, the Gavotte en Rondeau from the E major Violin Partita plus the Gigue from the C minor Lute Suite -- and four solo works by Spanish composers -- the Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Tárrega, Spanish Dance No. 5 by Granados plus Asturias and Granados from the Suite Espanola by Albéniz -- plus a four-movement concerto -- the Fantasia para un gentilhombre by Rodrigo -- this disc hits many of the high points of the guitar repertoire. And with the guitarist's fabulous technique -- listen to the lucidity of the counterpoint in the Bach, to the luminosity of the colors in the Albéniz, and to the singing legato lines in the Rodrigo -- his marvelous tone -- listen to the shades of crimson in his Bourée, to the glints of blue in his Asturias, and to the blazing golds of his Españoleta from the Fantasia -- and his virtually ideal interpretations -- his austere but compassionate Bach, his sweet but swinging Tárrega, and his affectionate but ever so slightly ironic Rodrigo -- Segovia was the best classical guitarist of his time and surely one of the best classical guitarists of all time. Recorded in honest analogue and transferred to realistic digital, this is a superb single-disc introduction to what could fairly be called the Best of the Best. ~ James Leonard, Rovi

Performances

Composer	Title	Time
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for solo cello No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (Prélude)	2:20
Johann Sebastian Bach	Suite for lute in E minor, BWV 996 (BC L166) (Bourée)	1:31
Johann Sebastian Bach	Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006 (Gavotte en Rondeau)	2:57
Johann Sebastian Bach	Partita for lute in C minor, BWV 997 (BC L170) (Gigue)	2:49
Francisco Tárrega	Recuerdos de la Alhambra, for guitar	5:12
Isaac Albéniz	Suite española No. 1, for piano, Op. 47, B. 7 (Asturias)	6:25
Isaac Albéniz	Suite española No. 1, for piano, Op. 47, B. 7 (Grenada (Serenata))	5:21
Enriqué Granados	Andaluza (Playera), for guitar or other instrument (arrangement of No. 5 of 12 Spanish Dances)	5:08
Joaquín Rodrigo	Fantasía para un gentilhombre, for guitar & orchestra	21:30

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