Today, just because I feel like it, let's revisit a piece we've heard more than once on this blog over the past decade and a half. It's Rodrigo's "Fantasía para un Gentilhombre", or "Fantasy for a Gentleman". It's one of his most popular compositions. Wikipedia says of it:
The four movements were based on six short dances for solo guitar by the 17th-century Spanish composer Gaspar Sanz and were taken from a three-volume work (1674, 1675, 1697) that is now commonly known as Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española (Musical Instruction on the Spanish Guitar) (Donis 2005:75). Most of the movements retain the names that were originally given by Sanz.
Rodrigo composed the concerto in 1954 at the request of the guitarist Andrés Segovia, who was evidently the gentilhombre referenced in the title. Segovia took the solo part at the premiere performance on March 5, 1958, in San Francisco.
There's more at the link.
I'm putting it up again not only because it's one of my favorite pieces of classical guitar music, but in memory of my friend Inyati, who died at about this time of year fourteen years ago. He's been on my mind lately, and he also loved this piece, so here goes. Segovia is the soloist in this performance; since it was written for him, I reckon he's probably the premier interpreter of it in concert.
Peter
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