Classical Guitarists: Conversations

by Jim Tosone

Classical Guitarists fills a void in the special world of the classical guitar. Although this realm is inhabited by world-class musicians, much of what they think and feel has never been captured in print. The interviewees, including Julian Bream, John Williams, Sharon Isbin, Eliot Fisk, David Starobin and David Tanenbaum are a select group at the peak of their prowess who speak openly and thoughtfully about their opportunities, accomplishments, and lessons learned. Each has made important contributions from establishing significant academic programs to broadening the audience for the classical guitar. The author shares his reviews of their most important recordings and New York City concerts during the 1990s, as well as discographies of their recordings. There are also interviews with Harold Shaw, the most prominent artist manager in the history of the classical guitar and several of today's most important composers for the guitar, including Pulitzer Prize winners George Crumb and Aaron Jay Kernis. An introductory chapter provides an historical perspective on classical guitar and a postscript explains how to create a basic repertoire of recordings.

199 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of conversations that took place in the 90s with some of the leading classical guitarists, composers, and one artist manager of that time: Sharon Isbin, Eliot Fisk, Richard Rodney Bennett, David Tanenbaum, David Starobin, Harold Shaw, and John Williams.

After reading Sharon Isbin's and Eliot Fisk's, which were both really engaging pieces, the rest of the book took me almost a year to finish because it became a little dry, right in the middle of Richard Rodney Bennett's interview. I imagine him to come off like the Andris Davis character played by Julian Glover in TÁR. Anyway. This was great, though, and I appreciate Jim Tosone's appendix at the end of 13 albums he has selected for a core collection of guitar recordings that one can check out. I'm glad I came upon this while browsing the music shelves at the Harold Washington Library.

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Jim Tosone: So what are the key social and cultural trends that are occurring?

John Williams: I think there's only one. And it's all embracing and inevitable. It is that the assumed superiority of the European classic music tradition is being questioned, and rightly so. The European classical tradition is only one of many wonderful musical cultures in the world. For our culture to accept that idea is quite a dramatic change because there has been a belief that yes, jazz is wonderful, South American music is very vibrant, Indian music is full of improvising fantasy—but when all is said and done, Brahms, Beethoven, and Mozart are it. That assumption has got to go. It's ironic for us in the guitar world because much of our recent history has been to try and become a part of that European classical tradition. But this is such an exciting age for anyone that's interested in the world, culturally, to be associated with the guitar—because of its links to so many different cultures. The guitar is a fundamental instrument in jazz and it has strong links to all other plucked-string instruments, like the sitar. And it originally was a popular instrument, a social instrument, which can embrace a variety of styles. It has magic in its sound, probably the most magical sound of all instruments. For guitarists to be able to be a part of all those different cultures is a unique opportunity that other musicians don't have as much. It's an ongoing process of discovery and enjoyment. And that's why we love the instrument.

(March 1994)