Support us financially by purchasing from

Andrés Segovia and His Contemporaries - Volume 15
The Guitar in Spain, Part 3; 1930-39, Orchestral and Chamber
DOREMI DHR-8149 [77]

This is simultaneously an exciting and a frustrating release. There is the promissory note of the first ever CD release of the world premiere of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Guitar Concerto No.1, given live in Montevideo on 28 October 1939. Though it was recorded by the broadcaster, a fire destroyed much of the archive, but the father of guitarist Eduardo Fernandez had also made a copy, which is what we have here.

Doremi notes the deterioration and degradation of parts of the performance. Segovia is the sovereign soloist and one can made out just enough to admire his proselytising brio but much of the orchestral part must be taken on trust. Acetate turnovers occur at unexpected moments, such as at 1:32 into the second movement, a deliciously sweetly lyric affair, and these add to the sense of disruption. However, this is a historic document and its survival is a matter of some significance though, in all honesty, more for archival reasons.

The various ensembles that make up the rest of this ‘Orchestral and Chamber’ disc are many and varied. There are two 78rpm sides performed by the Trio Albéniz del Alhambra Palace, Granada, who perform on guitar, bandurria and laúd, the last two instruments unique to Spain though sharing affinities with the mandolin. The trio generates exciting and varied sonorities in these well recorded 1930-31 sides. Ángel Barrios was the presiding genius of these kinds of ensembles – he had been the prime motivating force behind the Trio Albéniz and was instrumental in founding and leading Cuarteto Ibéria, whose official debut occurred in 1931. Two years later they recorded a four-78rpm album called Granada: Música Española, the ensemble’s only known recordings. All the music was by Barrios, though their concert repertoire included music by Granados, Albéniz Falla, Scarlatti and others, often interspersed with poetry readings and flamenco performances. This finely honed ensemble exudes vitality, colour and technical refinement, its tremolandi perfectly timed, coupled with maximal dexterity high up the fingerboard. The charming lilt of Zacataque is perfectly realised whilst Angelita, named for Barrios’ daughter, is full of lively flair.

There is a selection of discs made by the Orquestra Iberica de Madrid directed by Germán Lago, very attractively recorded for 1931, that represents a rather more popular repertoire. The orchestra in concert performance numbered some 50 musicians playing various bandurria and bass laúd and here they provide dapper Tárrega and wittily amusing Mozart and Schubert arrangements. Another major figure in the genre was Francisco Collado who had played bass laúd in Lago’s orchestra back in 1915. The three examples culled from his orchestras were recorded c.1932 and are spirited and vigorous and include his own compositions.

This disc wears a rather uneven look. The Castelnuovo-Tedesco concerto is clearly a significant work heard in very imperfect off-air sound. The remainder of the programme is sourced from generally good commercial copies. I was more drawn to this revealing swathe of discs, which explore the repertoire and sonority of a rich variety of ensembles. There’s a fine booklet note and a very early photograph of Segovia when he was a member of the Quinteto Albéniz in 1907. Spanish roots grow deep.

Jonathan Woolf

Contents
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Guitar Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 99
Andrés Segovia (guitar)/Sodre Symphony Orchestra/Lamberto Baldi
rec. 28 October 1939, live broadcast, Montevideo
Modesto Romero (1883-1954) and Vincente Romero (1886-1937)
En el generife
Ros
Rondeña
Trio Albéniz del Alhambra Palace, Granada
rec. 1930-31
Ángel Barrios (1882-1964)
Villancico
Cantos de mi Tierra
Zactaque
Zambra Gitana
Aben Humaya
Angeliat
Conrad del Campio and Ángel Barrios
El Avapiés
Cuarteto Ibéria/Ángel Barrios
rec. 1933
Ruperto Chapí (1851-1909)
Serneata de la fantasia morisca
Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)
Capricho Arabe
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata No.11, K.331 – Rondo a la turca
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Moment musical, No.3 D.780
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
Three-Cornered Hat: Danza del Molinero
El Amor Brujo: Romanza del Pescador
Orquestra Iberica de Madrid/Germán Lago
rec. 1931
Mora and Francesco Collado (1898-1983)
Potpourri española
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Standchen, D.D899: Moment musical, No.3 D.780
Orquestra Guitarristica de Madrid/Francisco Collado
rec. 1932
Francisco Collado
Andaluces
Orquesta Guitarristica Nacional/Francisco Collado
rec. 1932