Single Collection [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Japanese-only release limited to one pressing only! Features 11 tracks, 8 versions of 'Take A Picture' (Edit, Rock AlbumEdit, H&HRemix and Hybrid Mix, Rennie Pilgrim Mix, Club 69 Transmix, Club 69 Transapella, Club 69 Transdub) and 3 versions of 'Welcom To The Fold' (Edit, Freq Nasty Remix and Moving Fusion Remix). 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

Tracks:

Albeniz: Asturias
Albeniz: Tango
Sanz: Canarios
Rodrigo: Fandango
Torroba: Nocturno
Segreras - El Colibri
Albeniz: Sonata in D
De Falla: The Corregidor's Dance
De Falla: Fisherman's Song
De Falla: The Miller's Dance
Torroba: Madronos
La Nit de Nadal
El Noy de la Mare
Granados: Ma Maja de Goya
Abeniz: Cordoba
Tarrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Granados: Spanish Dance No. 5
El Testamen de Amelia
Villa-Lobos: Prelude No. 4 in E Minor
Albeniz: Sevilla
De Falla: Homanaje
Mudarra: Fantasia
Turina: Fandanguillo

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Introduction to Spanish Classical Guitar Music.......2005-09-18

As a sampler, this CD is an excellent introduction both to Spanish classical guitar music and to guitarist John Williams.
The music ranges from Renaissance composers (Sanz, Mudarra) and harmonized folk melodies to standard 20th Century works (Rodrigo, Torroba etc).

John Williams is excellent throughout. The CD is also cheap, and can be used either just for enjoyment, or further to explore other recordings by Williams, the classical guitar repertoire, or other classical guitarists.

As a marketing ploy, it is very effective.

For the collector or classical guitar enthusiast, the chief disadvantages of the CD are duplication of other recordings, and that the way at least some of the works on this CD are listed isn't helpful in telling the listener the set(s) to which these pieces belong and how to find them (e.g. "from ______, Op # "). The font listing the titles and track numbers is small and somewhat hard to read.

However, this CD should attract many listeners and enthusiasts both to the classical guitar, the repertoire, and guitarist John Williams - and I'm all for that.

Over 70 minutes playing time.

Recommended.

The guitar is an orchestra in miniature!.......2005-02-05

This admirable concept belongs to Hector Berlioz and it must not be a surprise the best guitarrists in the story have in common this trademark.

John Williams has always known the delicate equilibrium between the expresiveness and the glamouer. His impresive technique however is not exposed as his prima edonna. He goes directly to the soul of the composer, melts in his spirit and let the music sharp the qith eloquent conviction the composer's demanded atmosphere.

From Granados to Albeniz, from Rodrigo to Agustin Barrios - El indio Mangore -, from Moreno Torroba to Ponce , you will find the warmth, the passion and the Midas touch of this golden guitarrist.

GUITAR MAJESTY.......2004-12-21

John Williams is a true Guitar virtuoso. His repetoire is very extensive and I use his music in my office while I work at my daily office duties. This album is a must for all guitar enthusiasts old or young.

Sweet, sweet music, an essential addition to your collection.......2004-12-07

I originally bought this album three years ago, looking for a good introduction to Spanish guitar music. And this one fits that need perfectly. I still listen to and enjoy it today. I play this for guests at happy hour or dinner for a relaxed atmosphere. At Amazon's current price, this is a great value.

A True Classic.......2004-01-26

This album/cd is extraordinary. All the songs are gorgeous and exciting to listen to. John Williams' interpretation and technique are perfect. After 22 years of listening to it, I still enjoy and appreciate it more every time. I love giving it as a gift.

Average customer rating:

Revelatory.
A primary source for interpreting Debussy

Claude Debussy: The Composer as Pianist

Manufacturer: Pierian
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Maurice Ravel: The Composer as Pianist and Conductor
Bartók Plays Bartók
Alexander Scriabin: The Composer as Pianist
The Composer as Pianist
Prokofiev Plays Prokofiev

ASIN: B00005IC03
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Customer Reviews:

Revelatory........2004-01-27

Debussy lived into the age of recording, but the primary documents of his playing are his Welte-Mignon piano rolls. The Welte-Mignon contraption was a mechanical "player" which you set before a regular piano. It differed from the familiar player piano in that it could reproduce not only dynamics but touch and pedal technique. Mahler also recorded some of his pieces in this way. The problem with these things is their extreme fussiness. There's a problem with getting them to play at the intended speeds. You don't know, for example, how fast or slow Debussy intended, say, "La cathedrale engloutie" simply by looking at the roll. Also, apparently Welte-Mignon players were fitted to the individual piano. However, Pierian has used the talents of an engineer, Kenneth Caswell, who has devoted decades to the innards of the player, and the results have won the imprimatur of Harold Schoenberg himself, formerly a severe critic of modern Welte-Mignon reproduction. That's good enough for me.

All that said, I consider this one of the ten most important releases in the history of recording, even though I don't know what the other nine would be. Debussy is one of the master composers of keyboard music, along with Scarlatti, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Bartok, Ravel, and Prokofiev. So the recording is the equivalent of having Bach play the Goldbergs for you. Does Debussy differ from benchmark performances, like Gieseking? Not to take anything away from Gieseking, but, yes, he does. I can describe it as an extreme inwardness, as if the composer were communing with himself. The fingerwork isn't as sure as some, but the outstanding feature of the playing is its outstanding singing or, considering the composer's subtle temperament, humming. I can't imagine anybody interested in Debussy's piano music passing up this CD.

We also get Debussy's acoustic recordings as Mary Garden's accompanist in the Ariettes oubliees and in an extract from Pelleas. These to me have more problems than the rolls, mainly because the sound is so crude, but I make that judgment precisely because I have the rolls. Without Caswell's dedication, I'd have been extremely grateful for the acoustic recordings.