We have again the opportunity to count in Cuerdas Pulsadas with Fernando Pérez , who has recently released his second studio album dedicated to Matteo Carcassi and performed with a romantic guitar built by Lourdes Uncilla.
Three years ago since the launch of Feel Past Fret , Fernando’s first adventure in which he invited us to a journey through the emotions of the plucked string in its different periods.
Also in this second work we have had the opportunity to reissue the collaboration and support commitment of Cuerdas Pulsadas with all of us who make up this small world of string pressed. On this occasion, Fernando uses the Ambra 800 strings by Aquila Corde , specially designed for this instrument.
Perhaps this is, paradoxically, the reason why the rest of the work of this Italian virtuoso still seems unknown to us. The recognition of his work dedicated to teaching the introductory and middle levels of the instrument has relegated the rest of his work, completely dedicated to the guitar, to a second level, in which we can find a tremendously interesting composer.
Or also about the convenience of not touching with nails:
Currently, many modern guitarists choose the romantic guitar to play a certain repertoire, which has favored the popularity of this instrument and therefore its acceptance as a “concert instrument” is highly valued.
In any case, it must be borne in mind that it is a completely different instrument from today’s classical guitar, so the interpretive transition to it must be taken in a very rigorous way and through careful study.
On the figure of Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853)
Born in Florence, he devoted himself to the study of the guitar from childhood, quickly achieving the virtuosity that later brought him fame throughout Europe. Following in the wake of Fernando Sor, he moved to Paris in 1820 and managed to consolidate his style of composition there, more modern, brilliant and melodious than that of his predecessors. With a great sense of disclosure, especially at intermediate levels, but always with innovative techniques and a great musical sense, an elaborate use of dynamics in all his compositions. Carcassi has gone down in history for its pedagogical facet, and of course we can say that it perfectly fulfilled its mission since, almost certainly, practically all classical guitarists have played a study by Matteo Carcassi at some point in their career. Of course we could also discuss the approach and focus currently being taken from the classical guitar to a 19th century repertoire, since on many occasions we forget that the language and technique of the time had its own characteristics. Without a doubt this is one of the eternal debates about the music of other periods. Along with the figure of Fernando Sor, it is likely that his two opus 59 ( Méthode complète pour guitarre ) and 60 ( 25 études melodiques ) are the The most published and used guitar teaching treatises in the history of the guitar, where we can find the development of all the techniques on the guitar in both hands: arpeggios, glissandos, tremolos, ligatures, scales, capos … all of them indispensable for learning the instrument.
Perhaps this is, paradoxically, the reason why the rest of the work of this Italian virtuoso still seems unknown to us. The recognition of his work dedicated to teaching the introductory and middle levels of the instrument has relegated the rest of his work, completely dedicated to the guitar, to a second level, in which we can find a tremendously interesting composer.
Some curiosities about the instrument and its technique
In his Opus 59, Méthode complète pour guitarre, Matteo Carcassi talks about the strings of the romantic guitar, gut and wound silk:Instructions for the guitar: Strings
The guitar has six strings; the three first of which are gut and the three others of silk, covered with silver wire.
Also on a position of the right hand that reminds us a lot of the lute or vihuela, with the little finger resting on the top of the instrument:Instructions for the guitar: holding the instrument and position of the hands
The right fore arm should rest on the edge, formed by the side and the sound board, in the direction of the bridge; the little finger should be extended and rest lightly on the sound board, near the first string, and a little distant from the bridge.
What we can verify in the iconography that we have of Matteo Carcassi himself:
Or also about the convenience of not touching with nails:
Instructions for the guitar: touching the strings
To obtain a full and mellow tone, it is neccesary to apply some force with the end of the finger, avoiding to touch the strings with the nails, the fingers meet the strings obliquely, so as to cause them to vibrate across the finger board.
Interview with Fernando Pérez
We leave you with an interview with Fernando Pérez, to know more details about his new job.
Fernando, after the recording of “Feel Past Fret”, how did you decide to embark on this new project about Matteo Carcassi?The project begins to take shape thanks to the proposal of the composer and producer Hache Costa, who very kindly invites me to record the complete of these wonderful and interesting studios. It seemed to me a very interesting idea because, at the same time that they are works extensively studied in the Conservatory, their artistic quality is undeniable. At the same time, we wanted to give Carcassi the place he deserved as a classical-romantic composer, considering that, very doubtfully, he was one of the most undervalued. Also, the list of publications where they are performed with the instrument they were written for, the romantic guitar, is very small, so we never doubted that it was a project that should see the light of day.
What part of Matteo Carcassi’s work do you explore on your album?The album is exclusively dedicated to the Italian composer and guitarist Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853), more specifically to his 25 Etudes Mélodiques. Despite knowing some of them, once in full artistic preparation of the album, I was deeply impressed by their compositional quality. The study work was a real pleasure, I really enjoyed it. On the other hand, I wanted to dedicate all my effort to a single author, since on my first album, “Feel Past Fret”, the idea was totally different: five instruments and seven composers.
For your recording you have chosen the original instrument and you have had a copy built by Lourdes Uncilla, Copia de Petit Jean L’Ainé (c1790), how did you decide to play with the romantic guitar? Do you consider that this instrument is valued?The reason for choosing the instrument is simple, the repertoire is originally written to be played on the romantic guitar. Any guitarist who follows historically informed performance criteria would opt for this guitar, as the studios take on their full musical value there. As Hache Costa rightly says in the album’s script, “… a guitar whose performance certainly requires greater physical friendliness in attack, less invasive use of the nails but also greater clarity and skill in exposing the figures melodic. A guitar, at most, in which the old repertoire can take on its full meaning… ”.
Currently, many modern guitarists choose the romantic guitar to play a certain repertoire, which has favored the popularity of this instrument and therefore its acceptance as a “concert instrument” is highly valued.
In any case, it must be borne in mind that it is a completely different instrument from today’s classical guitar, so the interpretive transition to it must be taken in a very rigorous way and through careful study.
Fernando, what other projects do you have for the future?Currently and after releasing my two albums on the market in a relatively short space of time, I need an artistic parenthesis to think of something that motivates me personally. I’m a lot of chewing and mulling over projects, so I’m not in a hurry; What’s more, I enjoy that process. At the moment I have nothing settled in my head, although I do have many ideas, so I do not rule out launching in a few years something diametrically opposed to what has been published so far.
Where can you buy this album?Only through my official online store: http://www.fernandoperezfernandez.com/tienda/
Thank you for your time and congratulations on the album Fernando.Sources:
