Much of the material in this recording needs no introduction as they are well-loved staples of the Classical Guitar repertoire. So instead of an academic description of each work, I would like share my personal inspiration and approach to this CD's featured tracks. I have long resisted performing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750), contenting myself with listening to other players perform it. However, the Prelude and Sarabande of the 6th Cello Suite BWV 1012 moved me to go from a mere spectator into an active vessel of Bach's music. The next set of dances comes from the catalog of Paraguayan guitarist-composer Agustin Barrios Mangore (1885 - 1944). I have edited the Danza Paraguaya to free up the musical range and maintain the movement of the bass voice. The lesser known Don Perez Freire is a tango that Barrios dedicated to and named after one of his close friends. The wonderfully infectious Vals #4 op. 8 closes this set. My rendition of Antonin Dvorak's (1841-1904) Largo from the New World Symphony op. 95 was not inspired by the orchestral version, but rather by the rich basso profundo voice of Paul Robeson singing "Going Home"... The vocal spiritual adaptation of the Largo. The popular Bach Prelude to the 1st Cello Suite BWV 1007 is presented here in the original key of G Major and without any extraneous notes added to fill out the harmony. This treatment was inspired by the late great Michael Hedges, who also performed this Prelude in the original key on his harp-guitar. In arranging the Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) Largo from the Lute Concerto in D RV93, I took all the ensemble parts: lute, strings, and continuo, and combined them all onto a single staff resulting into an arrangement with 3 distinct voices. The 2nd half of the B section opens with some improvised lines that I base off of the original melodic content. Francisco Tarrega's (1852 - 1909) Capricho Arabe is probably the most adventurously re-worked piece in this recording. In direct comparison with the original 6 string version, the listener is treated to the 10 string's rich baritone voice. The beloved Recuerdos de la Alhambra is presented here with minimal changes. Leyenda by Isaac Albeniz (1860 - 1909) is performed in the guitar key of Em, but with additional lower, and higher, notes as based on the original piano score. This CD is closed by the immortal Romance Anonimo, a piece composed by ten-string guitarist Narciso Yepes (1927 - 1997) as a young boy and eventually shared to the world as part of the soundtrack to the 1952 movie Jeux Interdits. The added bass lines in the repeats of each section are reminiscent of a Filipino rondalla, whose upright bassist is likely to play the same approach when playing in 9/8 time. Like the rich, ornamental cloth that this CD is named after, I hope my playing breathes new life into these warhorses of the repertoire. - Perfecto de Castro May 2009 Azusa, CA.
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