Florian Larousse, Young Classical Guitarist

French guitarist Florian Larousse won the Guitar Foundation of America Competition in 2009. One can hear why on his wide-ranging recital disk (Naxos 8.572565). The program covers a broad spectrum of pieces in the repertoire: a little John Dowland, 19th century composers Giulio Regondi and Napoleon Coste, transitional 20th century figure Antonio Jose and a modernist, one Nuccio D'Angelo.

The first thing that strikes me about Larousse is his beautiful tone. It sparkles. His phrasing is astonishingly fluid, no matter the style at hand, and he shows an interpretive knack that is on a par with the best of the modern classical pianists. That is to say, his rubato is unexaggerated, his tonal nuance subtle and varied according to the needs of the composition.

Jose's Sonata (1933) showcases Larousse's finessive flair in a wonderful way. The sonata's traditional Spanish guitar passagework segues smoothly back and forth in alternation with the more contemporary sounding motifs. He makes of it all an organic unity that breathes life into the music and lets you fully appreciate the beauty of the sonata.

Mr. Larousse does not choose to wear his technique on his sleeve. All that is subjoined to what is important: the composition at hand and the most expressively subtle realization of the notes as the composer conceived of them.

Larousse's considerable talent and a selection of lesser performed gems from the repertoire make for excellent listening. It is a most successful and attractive outing!

Granados' "Goyescas" for Classical Guitar

Originally posted on March 4, 2008

Although the percentage of the Euro-American classical CD output devoted to the guitar is not overwhelmingly large, one could spend many days auditioning the available discs. I have not done that, nor will I ever, I suspect. Time, money, opportunity seem to have their impact. Nonetheless I sample from time to time.

Naxos has a good one, a set of transcriptions of the piano suite Goyescas by Spanish composer Granados (1867-1916). Christopher Dejour has done a good job arranging these pieces for three guitars. Granados could be thought of loosely as a Spanish impressionist, and there are plenty of harmonic and melodic sophistications to bring out the sonority of the trio. It is a definite change of pace.

Chamber Music for Guitar and Ensemble by Haydn, Boccherini

Originally posted on December 3, 2007

Nothing lasts forever, except maybe 33 rpm records. I have a few of the first run of LPs made (from around 1948 I think) and, though they reflect how many times they were played and under what conditions, they still play.

One LP that is not nearly that ancient (from the ‘70s) devotes itself to the guitar in small classical ensembles. Surprisingly, the guitar as an instrument was not around forever. It is not all that old. The lute came first, from at least the early Middle Ages on, and has different tuning, different strings, a shorter neck and a different sound. The first guitars appeared in the 15th century, but guitars as we know them today—the six string classic and flat-top acoustics with the body shape and size we are accustomed to—weren’t made until the 1850’s.

The record I mentioned above was recorded by Karl Scheit on classical guitar with a small chamber ensemble and released on Vanguard records. It has two works on it, one for each side. The oldest was originally written by Haydn for lute and strings, but the solo part is here adapted to the guitar. The circa 1760 composition has plenty of solo passages and sings in typical Haydn fashion. The second side brings to life a composition by the Italian Boccherini, one of the first composers to write for guitar. This “Quintet in D” in part emulates the sort of guitar playing that was already the case in Spain. The strumming, almost Flamenco style is right there and quite attractive. The record is just cool. It used to form an important part of my listening background when I was up all night writing papers in later college and graduate school years. It reminds me of a dead tiredness countered by cup after cup of tea or coffee, white-out, and determination. But it’s just very nice music, especially for guitarists or their friends. Get it if you can. It may be out on CD.