Rare Classical Guitar Video: John Williams - Asturias

[MrChas1956]

1950sparks I remember that quote,it went something like,"God has laid a hand upon his head",I used it in a comment I made re John Fahey.

[odingr]

he made a few mistakes.

[StrummingDad]

@odingr Yeah, but it is live and he just carried on like a pro. You'd only know the mistakes if you were very familiar with the piece. Hat's off to him I say.

[Pikangu]

@odingr it's hella dark in there can't you see ?

[lynmil10]

i must say that i feel john williams plays this with more energy than segovia did..not sayin segovia wasn't #1 all time..but this piece was OWNED by john williams

[ditman333]

@lynmil10 He wasnt #1, he discriminated against composers to ultimately obtain maximum fame...

Playing mostly the dead, so that he lost nothing in his glory. He didn't play Agustin Barrios for that one soul reason and for that i will despise him for it..

[MightythgiM]

John william is number 1 of classical guitar!! Awesome

[canadianRadio]

I have learned the basics of this song, all the parts and such, the hard part is getting past the arpeggios and doing the rasg. without missing the last 3 & of the bar when doing the arpeggio with double b. Super difficult, practice practice.

[macmitchdog]

Segovia Called John Williams," The Prince Of Guitarists".

[focl2003]

Prince of guitar

[xXxGoyexXx]

a lil lil lil mistakes! But pretty good energy! Bravo Maestro!

[Timbuktu42]

Sounds kinda like a banjo from the start, really thin sound,maybe its just this recording, his playing is very good.

[hansvancoby]

I sure can't play like him and I know that I'm an AH saying this but the great John Williams can not hold his tempo!

[Sirchrisirc]

@hansvancoby

Rubato ?

[statsrelick]

good

[Jerfanian]

wow..any1 know the name of his guitar??

[MrPasamu]

Some mistakes.. But this is normal, John Williams isn't a robot.. He is a human.. :):)

Grand Master..

[Jerfanian]

noo..pretty sure hes a robot

[crossx0ver]

Well this was also when he was younger, in more recent vids and performances he has almost no mistakes and of course a Grand Master.

As for the "cold playing," I believe he is just being more true to how the piece is meant to be played.

[Striderj25]

OoooooH !!! Awesome !!!!!

Joseph Strider

[JesseGuitar07]

great

[JamesMason33]

Don't worry danagirlxox, I don't think many people are. He is probably the greatest classical guitarist since Segovia. His playing is is of the very highest order of technical proficiency and his interpritations are without exception beautiful to listen to.

[Fichtezxc]

Yeah....John Williams is intense. As is Segovia.

[danagirlxox]

wow. thats REALLY good. i play some classical guitar but im not up to his level...yet!

[richiec54]

wooooah classical guitar is intense

[agvap]

bad day for williams some mistakes :D

[FatherWarhol]

By his standards!

[1950sparks]

Didn't Segovia say JW had been touched by the hand of God, or something similar. Strange why so many people want to criticise his playing? Surely they couldn't be jealous.....

[meowcutemeow]

err ohnoitsthefuzz, re u still livin in the era of Segovia, romantic playin era? todae, audience prefer brilliance in the performing and John Williams just cater to that demand. And John Williams is much more less brilliant and still much more follow Segovia style compared to the modern guitarist. N Segovia referred him as Prince of Guitar which shows that Segovia was impressed by Williams' musics. So I think there is nothin wrong with the so called John Williams' soul coz Segovia thought so.

[muli99]

Mr. Williams plays it too fast. Many non Spanish players have notorious tendency to play it fast. The whole piece loses its charms. This melody needs delicate rubatos and legatos, not a metronome player like Williams. Segovia and other Spanish guitar players are by far expressive in guitar.

[Rexicano]

I agree.

[echever7]

Mr ' muli99' : I respect your opinion. Im not expert. But 4 me this piece requires a lot of energy to deliver some of the Spanish temperament that it carries. May be that`s what Segovia in his senior years (70+) lacked a little...J. Williams plays this one as it should be, in my opinion. As did early Segovia

[ohnoitsthefuzz]

i'll just go ahead and be frank...i turned this off about halfway through the video. there is absolutely no question about john williams' technical abilities, but i firmly believe this piece requires less technically flawless playing and more of the rawness and passion i think segovia brings to the table. who is better is not relevant nor should it even be argued, but i can feel the emotion flowing through segovia's hands into the guitar, whereas JW's playing stirs very little in the soul for me

[SiegfriedHorner]

If "who is better is not relevant" then die gustibus non est disputandum (of course!). Why compare the master to the master's finest protege?It's enough to say that Segovia loved his(JW's)playing.

[Zstriker]

lots of people says williams is a cold player. well its a opinion and i respect that. my opinion is williams make this look so easy that people think he puts no effort on it. i just think its just a big misunderstanding.

williams is a better player than segovia in terms of skills. but as for feelings for guitar. segovia reigns supreme.

[PodaiKofa]

i think his "cold playing" can be explained by simple deep respect in music and he is more like looking to do it perfect than to put emotions in it, which is .... em... out of standart ?! i think he deserves all the respect 4 that

[gladio4ever]

@PodaiKofa Its just another style than Segovias very temperamental way of playing - its more akin to the virtuoso Ana Vidovic

[PodaiKofa]

Perhaps u have a point there mate, I deeply respect Segovia aswell heh :] dont even want to compare them!

[thejugglenaut91]

this vid is has the best angle of his hands i've seen... FANTASTIC!

[narcissusfleur]

It is funny to think that this is John at his "worst", I have seen him in concert and in tons of videos and I have never seen him demonstrate so many errors, even though they were very small- he is my favorite guitarist- what a model for guitar performance!