The Art of Andres Segovia

One of the greatest musical experiences of my life was seeing Andres Segovia (1893-1987) sitting alone on the stage of Massey Hall in Toronto, playing to a packed house. The sound of an unamplified classical guitar is very small but it filled the hall that night, and every note was a miracle of musicianship and artistry. No one before or since made the guitar sound so expressive. But more than that Segovia conveyed to his listeners the very soul of music. It was unforgettable.

In this video you can see Segovia in his prime and marvel at the artistry. How did he get so many different colours out of the instrument? Every note is a thing of wonder but listen especially to how he colours the last run in the piece. The music is Fernando Sor's Variations on a Theme of Mozart, a Segovia specialty.

Paul E. Robinson