In this classical guitar arrangement by Tárrega of Chopin's Prelude No. 7, don’t be afraid to play quietly as indicated, using the dynamic extreme sparingly.]]>
Here is a study of how to play the chord shapes and shifts, as well as tremolo technique for Tárrega's classical guitar masterpiece "Recuerdos de la Alhambra."]]>
BOOK REVIEW BY GRAHAM WADE Dr Walter Leckie & Don Francisco Tárrega: The unlikely tale of an English Gentleman and a Spanish Guitarist By Brian Whitehouse (2019, ASG Music Limited, 206 pp.) This is a fascinating publication setting out in detail the creative relationship between Dr. Walter Leckie, English physician and amateur guitarist, and Francisco Tárrega, the great Spanish maestro whose contribution to the guitar resonates through to the contemporary concert platform. The book provides biographical accounts not only of […]]]>
If I’m doing my math correctly (and I’m really bad at math), November 21, 2019, is the 167th birthday of the great Spanish guitarist, composer, arranger, and teacher Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909)—one of the true giants of classical guitar! The occasion is a perfect excuse to indulge in some birthday cake, and also for us to post a video of a virtuoso guitarist playing one of Tárrega’s most-loved pieces, the sublime Capricho árabe, written in 1892. Check out the exquisite tone […]]]>
Astonishingly enough, we have never chosen a version of the much-played (cynics might say “over-played”) Francisco Tárrega classic Recuerdos de la Alhambra (1896) as a Video Pick of the Pick. Frankly, when I came across this version by Korean guitarist Kyuhee Park I thought, “Really? Another Recuerdos?” But I feel as though I’ve been hearing Park’s name a lot here and there, and she even headlined a very well-received concert in San Francisco this past spring (which I unfortunately could not […]]]>
We posted this video a couple of years ago to accompany our report on what turned out to be the final edition of the La Guitarra California festival, but I like it so much I think it’s worth repeating as a Video Pick! Azerbaijani/Russian guitarist Rovshan Mamedkuliev is definitely one of my favorite current players. I’ve been fortunate enough to see him play a couple of times and he always stuns me with his sheer brilliance. At that La Guitarra […]]]>
From the September 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar | BY ADAM PERLMUTTER (A note from Classical Guitar magazine editor Blair Jackson: The September issue of our sister publication Acoustic Guitar contains a Special Focus section called ‘The Guitar in Spain,’ which, among other stories, includes this “lesson” featuring Michael Chapdelaine’s arrangements of two of Tárrega’s best-known pieces. Although aimed somewhat at steel-stringed players, it should be relevant to you nylon-string folks, too! And please, don’t be horrified by the inclusion of the TAB notation in addition […]]]>
Anna Likhacheva, a 24-year-old who hails from Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, started taking guitar lessons at age 3, and by the time she was 7 had won competitions in St. Petersburg and Moscow, under the tutelage of her father, music professor Yury Likhachev. She went on to win a Segovia competition in 2002, and has been very successful ever since, mostly playing around Europe, but also in North America and Asia, as well. YouTube has videos of Likhacheva dating back […]]]>
A Russian guitarist who has been living in Catalonia (Spain) for many years, Ekaterina Zaytseva has played and taught extensively all over Europe. Here she plays a marvelous version of Francisco Tárrega’s guitar interpretation of a piece by Niccolo Paganini]]>
It’s always rewarding to spend a few minutes listening to Pepe Romero. Romero playing Tárrega? I call that a win-win! But, frankly, what grabbed me most about this video is the astonishingly beautiful guitar Maestro Romero is plucking so tenderly: An 1894 instrument apparently built by one of the sons of renowned Spanish cabinet maker Melchor Moya; perhaps by the son who was thought to have been a guitar-making pupil of Antonio de Torres. In the video below, Pepe Romero […]]]>