Agustin Barrios Mangore - Julia Florida (Barcarola)

[DariaS]

...........................................

[tkoehler1]

Wonderful playing of this beautiful piece! Bravo!!

TK

[kevets]

Very nice. Maybe every so slightly faster than I like. And maybe move your right hand a bit more to change tone color; mix up your dynamics a bit - it's all rather the same volume throughout. But that's to just give you some feedback beyond nice job. You play it better than I do!

[riffmeister]

One of the most beautiful pieces of guitar music ever written! (imnsho)

Very nice performance, Daria! And congrats on the new guitar, it sounds fantastic!

[MBE]

Absolutely lovely. I really enjoyed that. My only constructive criticism is that, while Barrios often seems to invite speed with his compositions, some of the most incredible performances I have heard of his work have been the slowest. Try taking it down a notch in tempo, record it (if only for yourself), and then listen to the two versions back to back. You may be surprised.

[DariaS]

...........................................

[Ct20]

Well Done! Looking forward to more recordings on the new guitar. You both sound very good.

[ZippyChip]

Played very well but the meter was too strict for my taste. May I refer you to Michael Chapdelaine's classical guitar version as an example of something a little looser? My comment has nothing to do with talent or ability, just expression.

[ZippyChip]

I think I have a better way of describing my thoughts about Julia Florida, Daria.
If one is to play this beautiful piece of music, the perfomer should "Make Love" to it. Playing the notes skillfully is not enough.
Once again my example is Chapdelain.

[MBE]

Originally Posted by ZippyChip

I think I have a better way of describing my thoughts about Julia Florida, Daria.
If one is to play this beautiful piece of music, the perfomer should "Make Love" to it. Playing the notes skillfully is not enough.
Once again my example is Chapdelain.

I'm not sure I agree. I think the music is romantic enough on its own. Leon Fleisher once said that it is self-indulgent to play a composition in a way that conveys your own feelings about it - that the best performers focus instead on conveying what the composer was expressing, which is the real challenge.

On another note, Daria - it sounds like you've switched from cedar to a spruce-topped guitar by your last comment. I agree that the dynamics certainly change when doing so - I always played on cedar and found spruce-topped guitars a bit of an alien experience. Regardless, your tone is lovely.

[DariaS]

...........................................

[Gitfiddlemann]

Daria that was wonderful. I love your tone and this music suits it well.

This is probably a matter of opening up too, it's all new guitar, it seems nobody touched it much in store and now it's getting better and better.

I personally find spruce to be that way vs. cedar, i.e. cedar seems to not require much playing in order to sound as it always does, whereas spruce requires more attention (= more playing) in this regard. But once it does open up there is a lot of clarity to the tone, more sparkle, especially in the trebles. Cedar is a little darker and mellower. These are generalizations of course, but it's been my experience so far with both types. Congrats on the new guitar. It really does sound very good in your hands!

[cmajor9]

Beautiful playing, and a terrifically beautiful piece of music! I know many of Barrios' compositions, but had never heard this one - I'll be looking to see if its in one of my compilations and I somehow missed it!

I think the comments regarding the tempo are really up to your judgement. Some listeners seem to want more rubato and 'expression', and for some the music can have its effect more 'perfectly' and intensely without so much (I tend to this side of the spectrum).

Regarding your comment about "beautiful music" vs. "beautiful guitar music", I always feel that Barrios in particular is indeed right on the same level as Chopin.