Search - Turina, Andia :: Guitar Works

Spanish composer Joaquin Turina isn't best known as a composer of guitar music--he wrote great piano and orchestral music, too--but this is some of his best work. Along with the occasional constructive criticism from Segovia (the musician to whom Turina dedicated many of these works), the composer clearly had a great ear for the instrument. Unlike many of his Spanish composing peers, he didn't just transpose his piano works to guitar; he also wrote specifically for the instrument. Flamenco is the main influence, but on Tres Danzas Andaluzas--originally written for piano--we hear shades of tango; Albéniz and Falla are two other influences Turina never sheds. Op. 61 is the major work here (the dazzling Allegro vivo third movement being the disc's highlight), along with Op. 55, his Cinco Danzas Gitanas. Both works are reflective, but never predictable. Rafael Andia plays these complex pieces deftly and, though he's no Segovia, he's a great interpreter, and the sound quality is unbeatable. --Jason Verlinde