Search - Luigi Legnani, Leopoldo Saracino :: Legnani: 36 Capricci for Guitar, Op. 20

Go Legnani!!!!!! > L-E-G-N-A-N-I

Person | hmm | 06/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"hmm. Well I own an authoritative set of the 36 caprices and of them can play only a handful so far. They are bloody difficult. But more importantly, these Caprices represent a section of guitar repertoire not frequently frequented (!) by guitarists today, and this is most saddening.

:(

There are of course reasons for this: The 36 caprices are mostly of 'light' musical quality - Legnani lived a very operatic period of time, and so one can hear the frivolous and over the top melodies in his caprices. Thus, perhaps the argument against them is that, for music so technically challenging, they are not 'worth it', 'spiritually'. Added to this, those guitarists capable of rising to Legnani's chalenges have the excellent studies and etudes of Sor, Coste, Giuliani, and even transcriptions of Paganini, to occupy their time.



However: the 36 Caprices by Legnani remain - whether played widely or not - an important addition to educational guitar music. And, to the argument that they are too 'light', it can be said that each one does effect the purpose of a 'caprice' - to "elevate and glorify transcendental technique and to fully exploit it as part of the process of artistic communication" (Simon Wynberg). And so the performer Leopoldo Saracino, in reccording not just a selection, but all 36 caprices - does a very honerable thing indeed. Music of the quality of Legnani's caprices should not be allowed to 'die out' simply because they are a little on the frivolous side. Just because John Williams has not recorded them is not to say that they are not worthy of him. For shame, guitarists. We all lament the comparitivly small amount of music for classical guitar - compare the task of counting every guitar piece in the world with that of counting every piano piece! Yet entire sections of the existing repertoire go unexplored! Even Segovia envied the piano for its huge repetoire.



In sum, and after my long rant, any student (or especially, performer) of classical guitar should buy this album (if you can find it) - listen to the quality performance, and add this set to their repertoire. They are excellent in didactic nature, and even if they're not 'molto serioso' - they are flashy! yes, I said it: flashy! Concert audiences can survive a brief section of time in which their very souls are not spoken to by sheer and powerful art - show off for them!"