Eliot Fisk plays Variations on a Theme of Luis Milan - Joaquín Nin-Culmell

[Carey]

A way under-recorded piece, IMO- from Boston Guitarfest 2017.

https://hooktube.com/watch?v=s-PgEEx2FdA

[Pat Foster]

Carey,

Wonderful piece, playing, and the guitar. Do you happen to know what he's playing?

Pat

[Carey]

Originally Posted by Pat Foster

Carey,

Wonderful piece, playing, and the guitar. Do you happen to know what he's playing?

Pat

Pat, I'm pretty sure it's a Stephan Connor, spruce / maple. I think Fisk's playing in the middle variations is pretty wonderful, too.


Carey

[redir]

If you mean what piece he's playing I believe it's one of the Pavane's. Folk dance music from the 1600's. I think this one is Pavane #3. I learned this one from an old Segovia. But Fisk shreds it, as he is known to do, and I mean that in a good way..

[mondoslug]

Awesome, thanks for posting. I used to listen to Rey De La Torre's version of it all the time.

[Carey]

Originally Posted by mondoslug

Awesome, thanks for posting. I used to listen to Rey De La Torre's version of it all the time.

Yes, same here. Good vivid sound on that old mono LP de la Torre recording, too!
It was re-released on CD a few years ago and I'm waiting on a copy right now.

[Carey]

The de la Torre CD that I mentioned above arrived today (Bridge 9188) and
it's nice, with very good notes by Anthony Weller, and by de la Torre from
the original 1952 Philharmonia LP (I have the later Nonesuch LP). The sound
varies quite a bit on the individual tracks; some a little too reverberant (Asturias / Leyenda, in a really nice, juicy performance, otherwise) for
my taste, but the Nin-Culmell, Falla, and Orbon pieces- the heart of the recording, to me- sound good.
The notes mention that RdlT is playing a Hauser I from 1950, too.

[Carey]

Listening to different recordings of this piece and playing bits of it, it seems
a shame that the first variation is such a knucklebuster, and I wonder if there
might be more performances of it, otherwise. Fisk's and Rey de la Torre's
really stand out, of those I've heard, and I like the last variation a lot now
too, where the music is maybe bigger than what the guitar can really do.

[mondoslug]

Nice! I have always LOVED the last variation.

[Carey]

I hear you. How to make those big gestures work, though? Fisk's Segovian
strums don't quite do it, IMO, but I don't have the score anymore, to get the composer's intentions - gave it to a much better player than me.
Just ordered another copy from GSP..