Concierto Aranjuez
Terrific guitar and a clear haunting melody. This is a classic. Great disk.
A True Gem
Somehow I never felt this concerto has been played to its full potential. Like most classical lovers, I had a decent recording (that got a Penguin rosette) of this concerto and had heard it numerous times on radio. When I hear Paco de Lucia, I am glad someone finally did it full justice. In Flamenco, in jazz or in classical, Paco de Lucia's musicianship always touches heart and souls. I am not surprised that the composer himself calls this the greatest performance of the concerto, and I can't think of why any classical guitar lover wouldn't want to own this CD. .
Phenomenal rendition of this classic
Paco plays it with the most fire, and it's apparent that Joaquin Rodrigo also enjoyed it. I've heard a number of versions of this Rodrigo piece. It's also important to know that most classical players take sometimes up to a year to prepare this piece for performance. Paco, who doesn't read music, prepared it in two weeks. Amazing. .
Enough of the Concerto de Aranjuez, enough!
Paco de Lucia gives a decent performance. This piece, sadly, has been played to death. Those above who sing his praises should keep in mind that it's a concerto and a collaborative effort among the guitarist, a conductor, and the orchestra. Also keep in mind that Paco's greatest asset is his nimble fingers. Do you suppose he could get the whole concerto down to under 5 minutes? Would you enjoy it if he did?
I was enchanted with this piece when I first heard it 40 years ago. Nowadays I avoid listening to it.
Pure genius
I thought Williams version was stunning but now having listened to Aranjuez played by Paco de Lucia, Paco brings something extra to the music, an Andalucian understanding, a flamenco spirit, and such incredible technique, lightening fast fingers that melt into a blur. I grew up listening to the version of Aranjuez played by John Williams as it was one of my father's favourite pieces of music and became one of my own.
All in all, the spirit in which the music is played, in comparison makes Williams superb interpretation appear dull and robotic. This is surely how Rodrigo intended his concerto to be played.
Paco de Lucia is an absolute genius and is to my mind without equal as the world's best guitarist. If you've never heard of Paco de Lucia before, you could do a lot worse than begin your discovery with this album.
You can see a complete list of all Paco de Lucia discography, or go back to the Paco de Lucia tabs
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