Title : Reflections of Spain: Spanish Favorites for Guitar
Author : David Russell
Release Date : 20020122
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
Amazon.com Price : $14.88
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Editorial Reviews : David Russell was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but his family moved to Spain while he was still a young boy so he could study music in the birthplace of classical guitar. On Reflections of Spain, Russell plays the music of his childhood home with all the joy you would expect from someone revisiting a beloved place. Russell's formidable technique is powered by a keen intelligence and tempered by an emotional delivery. He plays chestnuts like Tarrega's 'Recuerdos de la Alhambra' and Albeinez's 'Austurias' with a fond intimacy that rescues them from cliché. Perhaps the finest moments on the CD are Russell's guitar arrangements of four of Granados's compositions. Although Granados wrote pieces like 'Danza Melancolia' and 'Andaluza' for piano, Russell's thoughtful versions remind us that the folk dances that inspired them were originally accompanied by the guitar. David Russell is one the finest classical guitarists to emerge in recent years, and his playing on Reflections of Spain is a near perfect wedding of technique and temperament.
Buyer Reviews : Russell's superb performance and the incredible Dammann guitar bring out the very best in each, and that combination is breathtaking. Russell's two tracks composed by Tarrega are, in my opinion, the best recordings of those compositions, which shouldn't be a surprise as Russell won the Francisco Tarrega Competition in Spain. The beauty of the tremelo on track three is hard to describe except that I stop whatever I'm doing each time I hear it, and I've played this CD often. A lot. The recording quality is impressive but drifts into subtle significance after listening to an hour plus of rich full-bodied Russell/Dammann genius. (How does Russell do so much without any string sqeeks?)
