Francisco Tárrega’s compositions are well known to
lovers of guitar music and even those with a fleeting interest
in the
instrument must have heard Recuerdos de la Alhambra, or
Tremolo Etude, as it is also called. It is a wonderful
melody and there are lots of the same kind in his oeuvre.
Though
he was breaker of new ground when it came to guitar technique
his compositions were far from daring or innovative, rather
deeply rooted in the mid-19th century Romantic currents. But
they are wonderful to listen to – provided the listener has
a sweet tooth. They are equally useful as background wall-paper
in company with a medium-rare steak and a bottle of Estremadura,
as for concentrated listening with headphones.
I have some CDs with quite a lot of Tarrega pieces but none
entirely devoted to his music. There are, however, at least
two ‘complete’ Tarrega sets, one with Giulio Tampalini, reviewed
a couple of years ago by my colleague Zane Turner (see review),
and one with David Russell, which Zane also discusses in the
review. There is also a disc with twenty-nine pieces played
by Fernando Espi (see review).
I have heard none of these but have long been an admirer of
David Russell. Why do I write ‘complete’ with quotation marks?
Well, Tampalini’s collection contains 58 works, Russell’s 62
and, as ZT writes ‘What represents the entire corpus of his
original compositions appears to be the subject of academic
debate’. ZT was not exactly overwhelmed by the Tampalini volume
but concluded ‘In isolation this new offering of Tárrega’s music
capably addresses the key components that have made him a most
celebrated composer of guitar music’ while ‘David Russell still
represents the gold standard for overall excellence.’ The verdict
for Espi’s compilation was that his ‘capable approach is very
"period', among other things observing the glissandos.
He is playing an instrument that is very close in design to
the guitars by Antonio Torres, which Tarrega played. But Mats
Bergström’s guitar, made by Swedish luthier Lars Jönsson, is
a replica, of the Torres instrument built in 1888 which became
Tarrega’s favourite.
Mats Bergström is a Swedish guitarist who studied at the Royal
College of Music in Stockholm and the Juilliard School in New
York. He has been a professional player for more than twenty-five
years, making his recital debut at Wigmore Hall in 1983. He
is one of the most versatile of guitarists as soloist as well
as ensemble musician in a wide variety of genres. As accompanist
he has worked with numerous Swedish instrumentalists and singers,
including baritone Olle Persson (they have recorded Schubert’s
Die schöne Müllerin, which he also arranged), Anne Sofie
von Otter, Tommy Körberg (of Chess fame) and Barbara
Hendricks. He has a large discography but this seems to be his
first solo record. Since Francisco Tárrega died one hundred
years ago it was natural for Mats to record this tribute to
him.
Several of Tarrega’s pupils, including Llobet and Pujol, have
described him as ‘a charismatic romantic and a dreamer, unpretentious,
kind and thoughtful’. Llobet even called him ‘angelic’. If these
descriptions are anything to go by concerning his own playing,
I believe Mats Bergström is very close to the mark. Take the
ubiquitous Recuerdos de la Alhambra as an example. From
my collection I picked two earlier Naxos recordings, one with
David Martinez, the other with Norbert Kraft. Just have a look
at the timings:
Martinez 3:44
Kraft 4:18
Bergström 5:40
Before I had read Mats Bergström’s liner-notes with the descriptions
of Tarrega, I had written on my notepad: ‘A dreamy reading,
which seems absolutely right´. ‘Recuerdos’ means remembrances
and suchlike tend to be ‘dreamy’. It is slow, in real time,
but one doesn’t get the impression it is. Martinez’s version
– almost two minutes shorter, which is a sensational difference
for so short a piece – is nervous and almost aggressive with
heavy accents. His is a reading of the roaring 1990s, Mats Bergström’s
is of the more genial 1890s. Norbert Kraft, always a reliable
interpreter, is somewhere between, though considerably closer
to Martinez than to Bergström. He uses more rubato and is a
bit heavier. Mats Bergström’s is now my favourite version. Well,
isn’t he eccentric with that tempo? Andrés Segovia, who was
the one who established this piece and made it the favourite
it has been for so long, takes 5:13 – an indication that Bergström
is rather close to the original. And to round off this exposé:
Fernando Espi takes 5:48! Case closed – but I must try to get
hold of Espi’s disc.
Recuerdos de la Alhambra, which is the longest piece
here, can stand as a symbol for the rest of the programme. ‘Dreamy’
may not be a keyword for everything on the disc, but the beauty
of the playing, the care over nuances and the technical assurance,
which is no end in itself, are all the time in evidence and
makes this one of the most satisfying guitar recitals I have
heard for a long time. Readers who have no further acquaintance
with Tarrega’s music, apart from Recuerdos, will find
a treasure trove here: Endecha (prelude No. 15 in D minor),
Lagrima (Prelude No. 11 in E), Adelita, the lovely
Mazurka in G, Maria and Capricho arabe
are only a few of the pieces here that I have loved for so long
and which will hopefully be friends for life once one has heard
them. I don’t expect to hear them played with more elegance,
warmth and charm – and the recording leaves nothing to be desired.
I hope Naxos will ask him for a volume two before long. As a
bonus we are also treated to ‘one of the most frequently heard
tunes of our time’: measures 13-16 of Gran vals is the
ring tone for Nokia mobile phones!
Göran Forsling
Track listing:
1-16. Preludios [16:40]
No. 1 in D minor [1:29]
No. 2 in A minor [1:50]
No. 3 in G [0:46]
No. 4 in E [0:47]
No. 5 in E [1:51]
No. 6 in B minor [1:01]
No. 7 in A [0:50]
No. 8 in F sharp minor [0:44]
No. 9 in B minor on a theme of Mendelssohn
[1:04]
No. 10 in B minor [0:32]
No. 11 in E ‘Lágrima’ [2:01]
No. 12 in A minor [0:25]
No. 13 in G [1:04]
No. 14 in D [0:29]
No. 15 in D minor ‘Endecha’ [1:13]
No. 16 in D minor ‘Oremus’ (Robert Schumann)
[0:34]
17. Las Dos (Dos valses) [4:27]
18. Adelita (Mazurka) [1:41]
19. Marieta (Mazurka) [2:32]
20. Mazurka (in G) [2:44]
21. Maria (Gavota) [1:38]
22. Recuerdos de la Alhambra [5:40]
23. Rosita (Polka) [1:46]
24. Pepita (Polka) [1:43]
25. Capricho arabe (Serenata) [5:19]
26. Paquito (Vals) [2:29]
27. Gran vals [3:24]
28. Alborada (Capricho) [2:21]
29. Isabel (Vals) (Johann Strauss II) [1:49]
30. Vals (in D) [2:32]
31. Pavana [2:32]
32. Estudio brillante de Alard [2:28]
Mats Bergström (guitar) 
