Reader may recall that, yesterday morning, the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts released the fifth video to be produced in association with The Romero Sessions, presenting solo performances by guitarist Irina Kulikova. As expected, that release took place at 10 a.m. this morning and may now be viewed through a YouTube Web page. The video is slightly more than four and one-half minutes in duration, presenting what may well be the most familiar solo composition in the guitar literature, “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” (recollections of the Alhambra), by the late nineteenth-century Spanish composer Francisco Tárrega.
I suspect it would be fair to say that anyone of my generation came to know this music from a recording made by Andrés Segovia. Sadly, I never had the opportunity to experience a recital by Segovia. The good news is that MCA Classics released The Segovia Collection around the time that compact discs were replacing vinyls. The tracks from all of his recording sessions became readily available through a box of nine CDs. The title of the third CD in this collection was My Favorite Works; and (no surprise) “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” was one of the tracks. Sadly, the nine CDs in this collection no longer seem to be in stock.
The theme of Tárrega’s composition consists of the slow unfolding of a sequence of sustained notes, suggesting that the recollection is a poignant one. Since the sound of a plucked string of any instrument does not sustain for very long, Tárrega used tremolo, the rapid repetition of a single note, to realize the gradual unfolding of the theme. At the same time, there is an accompaniment of arpeggiated chords played on the lower strings. The Wikipedia page for this composition observes: “Many who have heard the piece but not seen it performed mistake it for a duet.” Captain Obvious could not have put it better!
Irina Kulikova towards the conclusion of her performance of “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” (screenshot from the Omni Foundation YouTube video)
That said, Kulikova plays this piece with what might be described as a “focused calm.” That sense of focus keeps her emotions in check. Nevertheless, one comes away with the sense that she is the “overseer” of what her fingers are doing; and, if her face yields any disposition at all, it seems to be one of satisfaction. I found this a refreshing departure from all of those instrumentals and vocalists who seem to make it a point that I see just how committed they are to their work. There is no questioning Kulikova’s commitment. However, I am glad she is more interested in my listening experience than in showing off that commitment!
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