Saturday, May 25, 2013
The Magical World of JORGE CABALLERO - DAMN THAT KID IS GREAT!
Although I have a list of Guitar topics I want to share with you, I must once again speak of the total command of our instrument in the hands of the great PERUVIAN PHENOM- JORGE CABALLERO! Experience this young genius on YOU TUBE with his many videos and you will laugh at how A W E S O M E he is!!! Everyone who has heard him in concert or in Master Class have experienced G E N I U S ! This young man is so brilliant on so many levels and I could write a report on him every day detailing all the wonderful qualities he has but I just wanted to remind you that we have a Genius in our Classical Guitar / Musical Instrument podium! He is a gentle giant as you will find out if you meet him. I have to take a breath every time I think about him because he is as wonderful as Bream,Williams, Barrueco etc! He has already cemented his place on the " best of the best " podium. We are so fortunate to have him as part of our world and you have to make time to get to one of his Herculean Performances as soon as you can!!!! You will be transported into "THE OUTER LIMITS"!
Pia Gazarek-Offermann Delivers Poetry on Guitar-SPANISH GUITAR MASTERPIECES
PIA GAZAREK OFFERMANN is a poetic whiz on her 2009 fabulous KARL-HEINZ ROEMMICH instrument on her just released CD: Spanish Guitar Masterpieces! Three beautiful works from Spanish Composers are played with such verve and beauty opening up the CD with a very little played 2nd Sonata by Eduardo Lopez-Charvarri. The only time I heard this interesting work was in the 70s when it was on the Carnegie Recital Hall debut program of Mexican Virtuoso ALFONSO MORENO! It is a work that requires a sharp mind to interpret the many themes introduced in it's pages and Pia has all the "right stuff" both musically and technically to please us with this performance. It moved me so much that I went to the Lincoln Center Library to see if they had a copy of this Sonata because I remember there being one years ago and as my usual lucky streak continued, I found that copy and sat with it in my lap as I enjoyed my second listening of this CD. My first listening was the evening I first received the CD in the mail. At that time, I listened deeply and wrote a detailed account of each movement in the three works. I do hope that the name of PIA GAZAREK-OFFERMANN catapults to the top of your list of "MUST EXPERIENCE". Fortunately YOU TUBE has several cuts from her 1st CD "SATYAGRAHA" ( 2007 ) which included a stunning performance of the title track ( composed by my buddy BENJAMIN VERDERY) and a lovely performance of Benjamin Britten's "NOCTURNAL".
Getting back to this beautifully recorded CD, the other composers represented on this Lovely CD are Frederic Mompou and Antonio Jose. Segovia's recording of The Suite Compostelana by Mompou, still rings in my mind from my old LP ( do you kids know what that is? ). Pia's interpretation is full of sweet nuance and delicate phrasing that throws new light on this very little played work.This work gives the artist six beautifully defined pieces each with another look into the magical world of the Spanish soul. I feasted on each and every movement as Pia's superior use of phrasing and articulation showered the movements with such ingenuity and delicacy. Ending this beautifully packaged CD is that Impressionistic Sonata by Antonio Jose that just flows through it's movements with the thoughtful stamp of thorough artistry by Pia. Three solid works played with superior artistry and several levels of interpretative ingenuity is evident with this beautifully packaged work of art. The sound of the recording is absolutely perfect as it caught the slightest hint of musical utterance by Pia. Let me tell you that her fantastic instrument - a 2009 KARL-HEINZ ROEMMICH - is one of the great instruments being played. I had a chance to try it out in 2010 when Pia was here in New York for two concerts and let me tell you, it is one of those guitars that just "PLAYS ITSELF". I told her "CAN I HAVE THIS"?. I was bowled over when I started to play this magnificent instrument. It has such an easy response to any articulation you could want. With an instrument like this as your vehicle of musical expression, the universe is your sound palette and with an exceptional artist as PIA GAZAREK-OFFERMANN , we are fortunate to have a brilliant ambassador of our music and instrument proudly representing us on the concert stage. Please jump on to YOU TUBE to experience this wonderfully gifted artist and if you are looking for someone special to present in concert, think of Pia. You will not regret a note!
Don Witter,Jr
member NYCCGS / CGSUNY
Getting back to this beautifully recorded CD, the other composers represented on this Lovely CD are Frederic Mompou and Antonio Jose. Segovia's recording of The Suite Compostelana by Mompou, still rings in my mind from my old LP ( do you kids know what that is? ). Pia's interpretation is full of sweet nuance and delicate phrasing that throws new light on this very little played work.This work gives the artist six beautifully defined pieces each with another look into the magical world of the Spanish soul. I feasted on each and every movement as Pia's superior use of phrasing and articulation showered the movements with such ingenuity and delicacy. Ending this beautifully packaged CD is that Impressionistic Sonata by Antonio Jose that just flows through it's movements with the thoughtful stamp of thorough artistry by Pia. Three solid works played with superior artistry and several levels of interpretative ingenuity is evident with this beautifully packaged work of art. The sound of the recording is absolutely perfect as it caught the slightest hint of musical utterance by Pia. Let me tell you that her fantastic instrument - a 2009 KARL-HEINZ ROEMMICH - is one of the great instruments being played. I had a chance to try it out in 2010 when Pia was here in New York for two concerts and let me tell you, it is one of those guitars that just "PLAYS ITSELF". I told her "CAN I HAVE THIS"?. I was bowled over when I started to play this magnificent instrument. It has such an easy response to any articulation you could want. With an instrument like this as your vehicle of musical expression, the universe is your sound palette and with an exceptional artist as PIA GAZAREK-OFFERMANN , we are fortunate to have a brilliant ambassador of our music and instrument proudly representing us on the concert stage. Please jump on to YOU TUBE to experience this wonderfully gifted artist and if you are looking for someone special to present in concert, think of Pia. You will not regret a note!
Don Witter,Jr
member NYCCGS / CGSUNY
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
What I would Love to have Seen and Heard
In the recent Play/demo offered by my young friend RUPERT BOYD at the Metropolitan Museum of a couple of Museum Rare Instruments, I wish he would have been given permission to play SEGOVIA'S Ramirez and Hauser. As inspected the two instruments through the glass case, they looked ready to dance! When we have an opportunity to aurally taste great instruments, we should be given full rein to make music live on any instrument fit to play.Before posting my review of the event, I just want to thank Rupert for playing so magnificently that afternoon. I has the best seat in the house-right in front of Rupert so I really got an "EAR FULL" of the sound of each instrument. I felt that the RENE LACOTE ( 1853 ) could have used Gut Strings. About 35 years or so ago, I played a period instrument with gut strings and it was a revelation to be taken into the past sound world that day with the scratchy but sweet sound of those strings. I may be wrong but the Lacote didn't seem to have gut strings but I didn't inspect it closely as the curaters were close by and I didn't want any problems.
What I would have Loved to see and heard were all instruments in "PERIOD GARB" with the contemporary
string tension and of course period music! I would have say played the Sor Variations on the Lacote 1st and then the Ramirez,Hauser and finally the Smallman and Sons. By the way, when GREG SMALLMAN first appeared on the scene, I tried it at BEVERLY MAHERS Guitar Salon here in New York and it had the nastiest Nasal sound! Tremendously loud compared to any guitar but the sound was extremely acrid to my ears. Of course there was no shortage of folks lining up to buy one thanks to the great JOHN WILLIAMS. I was so happy that there were modifications made when Smallman had his sons interact with him because they became true "Dream Guitars". I have tried a few Smallman and Sons over the last several years and they are DREAMS!!!
I would love to be able to play the same composition on "Guitars Through the Ages" and also be able to look and compare the construction,touch and playability of each on a video. Check out what is being done by Guitar Salon International on their website as they present various historical instruments for our pleasure. I have tried great instruments over the decades including some of the greatest Luthiers and I never get tired of making each instrument sound the best it can! With today's extreme range of building techniques, we are in a great world of hard decisions when it comes to selecting a concert worthy instrument. Good luck to those of you who are in the search.
This post is just the beginning of several having to do with selecting a guitar for concert use and I hope that I can shed some light on the process. Check the web for pertinent info and keep that GUITAR LOVE alive!
Gotta have dinner or my wife will spank me!
Don
What I would have Loved to see and heard were all instruments in "PERIOD GARB" with the contemporary
string tension and of course period music! I would have say played the Sor Variations on the Lacote 1st and then the Ramirez,Hauser and finally the Smallman and Sons. By the way, when GREG SMALLMAN first appeared on the scene, I tried it at BEVERLY MAHERS Guitar Salon here in New York and it had the nastiest Nasal sound! Tremendously loud compared to any guitar but the sound was extremely acrid to my ears. Of course there was no shortage of folks lining up to buy one thanks to the great JOHN WILLIAMS. I was so happy that there were modifications made when Smallman had his sons interact with him because they became true "Dream Guitars". I have tried a few Smallman and Sons over the last several years and they are DREAMS!!!
I would love to be able to play the same composition on "Guitars Through the Ages" and also be able to look and compare the construction,touch and playability of each on a video. Check out what is being done by Guitar Salon International on their website as they present various historical instruments for our pleasure. I have tried great instruments over the decades including some of the greatest Luthiers and I never get tired of making each instrument sound the best it can! With today's extreme range of building techniques, we are in a great world of hard decisions when it comes to selecting a concert worthy instrument. Good luck to those of you who are in the search.
This post is just the beginning of several having to do with selecting a guitar for concert use and I hope that I can shed some light on the process. Check the web for pertinent info and keep that GUITAR LOVE alive!
Gotta have dinner or my wife will spank me!
Don
CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE/JULIA CROWE/CARLOS BONELL
Every month I lick the pages of CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE and want to thank my dear colleague and friend MAURICE SUMMERFIELD for doing our INTERNATIONAL Guitar Community a great service with this Great Magazine! Maurice has been recognized many times for his daily tribute to the Classical and Jazz Guitar world and will once again be Honored at this years' GFA Convention in Louisville Kentucky ( June 25-30). What a great human being to have in our Guitar world!!! He has also Chosen his staff creatively and wisely and I continue to be in awe of what this magazine has done to further our knowledge in so many Guitar areas! B R A V O M A U R I C E !!!!!!!!!!!
I have been working on a few projects related to this great magazine but will hold up on announcements until I complete them. I must also once again salute the incredibly diversely talented young woman JULIA CROWE for her monthly informative column "LETTER FROM NEW YORK". It was I who suggested to Maurice that there should be a monthly column covering the incredible vibe of the New York Guitar Scene. I kind of offered myself as a possible Guitar man about town but I was so happy that the duties were handed to this greatly and awesomely talented expert of the English Language. JULIA CROWE is our best and also an excellent Guitarist/Composer of Music for the Electric Guitar. Her fantastic writing spreads out to so many diverse periodicals.She is so articulate and thorough and I must once again point out that wonderful new book of hers "MY FIRST GUITAR". It doesn't get any better than that! If you love the Guitar, you must run out and get a copy of that book N O W !!!!!
I have been in email contact with the great Virtuoso Guitarist/Teacher CARLOS BONELL who has been transposing great info from his own web page to CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE for the past several issues-all of which have been clean,clear and to the point.So helpful are these tidbits I would hope that maybe down the road they are collected as a book of priceless information on so many great Guitar Topics that will make us all better players! I reminded Carlos how supremely impressed I was when he last gave New York the pleasure of his artistry about 15/20 years ago at the 92nd Street "Y". He was playing a great Fleta that just dripped all sorts of Colors from his great articulation palette! I was the first to greet him in the Green Room after the concert as he was still sweating from that awesome display of gorgeous music making.
I remember he wore an extremely colorful shirt that I loved and his playing was so damn perfect. He reminded me of JOHN WILLIAMS total command of the instrument! Not one note dropped!! W H E W !
Anyway ( and I don't mean ROLANDS' wonderful composition ), just wanted to post these comments as they occurred to me while writing my previous comments!
Donnie
I have been working on a few projects related to this great magazine but will hold up on announcements until I complete them. I must also once again salute the incredibly diversely talented young woman JULIA CROWE for her monthly informative column "LETTER FROM NEW YORK". It was I who suggested to Maurice that there should be a monthly column covering the incredible vibe of the New York Guitar Scene. I kind of offered myself as a possible Guitar man about town but I was so happy that the duties were handed to this greatly and awesomely talented expert of the English Language. JULIA CROWE is our best and also an excellent Guitarist/Composer of Music for the Electric Guitar. Her fantastic writing spreads out to so many diverse periodicals.She is so articulate and thorough and I must once again point out that wonderful new book of hers "MY FIRST GUITAR". It doesn't get any better than that! If you love the Guitar, you must run out and get a copy of that book N O W !!!!!
I have been in email contact with the great Virtuoso Guitarist/Teacher CARLOS BONELL who has been transposing great info from his own web page to CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE for the past several issues-all of which have been clean,clear and to the point.So helpful are these tidbits I would hope that maybe down the road they are collected as a book of priceless information on so many great Guitar Topics that will make us all better players! I reminded Carlos how supremely impressed I was when he last gave New York the pleasure of his artistry about 15/20 years ago at the 92nd Street "Y". He was playing a great Fleta that just dripped all sorts of Colors from his great articulation palette! I was the first to greet him in the Green Room after the concert as he was still sweating from that awesome display of gorgeous music making.
I remember he wore an extremely colorful shirt that I loved and his playing was so damn perfect. He reminded me of JOHN WILLIAMS total command of the instrument! Not one note dropped!! W H E W !
Anyway ( and I don't mean ROLANDS' wonderful composition ), just wanted to post these comments as they occurred to me while writing my previous comments!
Donnie
Time Flys by- So Much to do - So little time
Just touching base with you to let you know I am still alive and kicking. Since I turned 63 last month, I have been thinking a lot about me and the Guitar scene here in New York and decided I wanted to withdraw from all the hectic pace of "The Scene". Since I divide myself between the Classical Guitar scene and the Jazz Scene, I decided that I would be best served coming to my "Donnie Guitar Growth Scene". I am having a great time slamming down videos from you tube and learning so much about this great instrument. I get daily email lessons and am just swamped with so much, I can't keep up!
Coming up in short order is a continuation of PART 2 - Pia Gazarek-Offermann. I also have a review of her New CD-"SPANISH GUITAR MASTERPIECES" . Also hot on the trail will be my review of the wonderful CD by GOHAR VARDANYAN " PAISAJES". That will be followed by a review of the lovely concert/demo given at The Metropolitan Museum in the RARE INSTRUMENTS COLLECTION by Australian/American young tiger RUPERT BOYD! I have closely followed all three of these special talents for at least a decade and am so damn proud of them all as they have progressed to wonderful levels of great artistry and deserve to be recognized for their great achievements! As you know, it is so incredibly crazy in today's world to ply our trade and move forward as there are so few opportunities out there and one hell of a legion of kids coming out of our Music Conservatories with diplomas in hand and no where to go! They have got to make their own careers in their own way!
I would hope that with my having been on this New York Guitar Scene since 1962/1963 , I can make you aware of all the wealth there is to acknowledge in today's plucking world! I get no payment for this. It is my pure love of the Guitar that pushes me forward with this blog and I know that I have a lot to offer,so I look forward to sharing my experiences, past,present and future with you.
I am still out here in the MUSIC UNDER NEW YORK program performing around town and will be in the " Taste of Times Square Celebration" Monday June 3rd. I played as part of the Grand Central Anniversary a couple of months ago and look forward to being outside June 3rd for another New York City celebration.
I am trying to get my website updated (www.donsguitarsite.com) as that baby has been collecting dust since some portions are not working (like my updating functions and calendar/reviews) so I will be posting various announcements on this blog until these little babies are fixed. I am also looking around the net for the best Guitar Forums and as I find them, I will let you know.
That is all for now. Keep on plucking out there!
Donnie Guitar
Coming up in short order is a continuation of PART 2 - Pia Gazarek-Offermann. I also have a review of her New CD-"SPANISH GUITAR MASTERPIECES" . Also hot on the trail will be my review of the wonderful CD by GOHAR VARDANYAN " PAISAJES". That will be followed by a review of the lovely concert/demo given at The Metropolitan Museum in the RARE INSTRUMENTS COLLECTION by Australian/American young tiger RUPERT BOYD! I have closely followed all three of these special talents for at least a decade and am so damn proud of them all as they have progressed to wonderful levels of great artistry and deserve to be recognized for their great achievements! As you know, it is so incredibly crazy in today's world to ply our trade and move forward as there are so few opportunities out there and one hell of a legion of kids coming out of our Music Conservatories with diplomas in hand and no where to go! They have got to make their own careers in their own way!
I would hope that with my having been on this New York Guitar Scene since 1962/1963 , I can make you aware of all the wealth there is to acknowledge in today's plucking world! I get no payment for this. It is my pure love of the Guitar that pushes me forward with this blog and I know that I have a lot to offer,so I look forward to sharing my experiences, past,present and future with you.
I am still out here in the MUSIC UNDER NEW YORK program performing around town and will be in the " Taste of Times Square Celebration" Monday June 3rd. I played as part of the Grand Central Anniversary a couple of months ago and look forward to being outside June 3rd for another New York City celebration.
I am trying to get my website updated (www.donsguitarsite.com) as that baby has been collecting dust since some portions are not working (like my updating functions and calendar/reviews) so I will be posting various announcements on this blog until these little babies are fixed. I am also looking around the net for the best Guitar Forums and as I find them, I will let you know.
That is all for now. Keep on plucking out there!
Donnie Guitar
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