Julian Bream; Villa Lobos Choros no.1

[philnormand]

He totally skipped the second part, weird.

[HardyWiz]

I play it myself and I f*cking love spanish guitar :)

[rafaelcampedelli]

@HardyWiz this piece is not spanish

[HardyWiz]

@rafaelcampedelli yeah well south american then :D

[rafaelcampedelli]

@HardyWiz "choro" is a musical genre that only exists in Brazil.

[HardyWiz]

@rafaelcampedelli And you're saying that south American doesn't include Brazil?

[BachClarinet]

@HardyWiz No. He's saying that Brazil has nothing to do with Spain, like you mentioned in your first comment how much you love Spanish guitar.

[michaeljking]

I had a video tape of him playing this from the eighties (played to death)and it inspired me to move from electric to classical guitar and to get a copy of the works of this composer.. I loved his Romanillos guitar....will make myself a copy one of these days.....

[voiceofreason79]

@mcouzijn Please. Spare me your ad-hominem. Read my posts in context, think of them what you will & please, stop replying to them & get on with your life. I really don't have to prove anything to you. Thanks.

[mcouzijn]

@voiceofreason79 If you present your personal qualifications as relevant, how can you deny your opponents the right to refer to this ethos? That is not ad hominem, it is a consequence of the line of argument you yourself chose. Whether I will respond to your response is up to me, thank you.

[voiceofreason79]

@mcouzijn This is evolving into a particularly uninteresting debate, deviating off-topic, that I had no wish to get into & have no desire to continue. Playing rhetoric tennis with some tedious old dullard that i've never met before, isn't something I ever envisaged occupying my time.

I have my opinions, I've stated my opinion & I've even highlighted that it is my opinion. None of this is false & you're seemingly intent on debating for the sake of debate.

[foreverman2007]

the worst version in my opinion. see brazilian playing this. The best version is from turibio santos.

[anttisairanen]

It is the sound, the mirror of the player's soul, which counts, of cource in connection of an instrumental mastership. Bream may not have the supreme technical capasity, but as a great musician he finds the way, the right solutions, what this reading also documents, The rest is silence.

[avefer]

The 2nd part (in G+) is missing...

Also 2 wrong notes at 2:32 - 2:34

It happens to the best...

[gavinmatthewcox123]

@avefer I don't think Bream made a mistake. If you listen there is a distinct drop in pitch along with a slowing of tempo, it sounds like the old video tape slipped at this point, which has been preserved in the digital copy. I've noticed this in a number of old video recordings of music when there is a glitch in the tape. Bream is still the master :)

[avefer]

@gavinmatthewcox123 Dear Gavin, I insist...

The part in G+ (should start at 1.00) is missing. Look at this:

[youtube_addr] /watch?v=jAg8VHuXNKU

Is the part from 0.55 to 1.30

I have the score, I also can play the piece.

2nd problem, the chord sounds "minor", while in effect it's "major".

But OK, Bream is a master. There are others: John Williams, Pepe Romero, in the UK you have also Carlos Bonell. See also Silvestre Fonseca in my page:

[youtube_addr] /avefer

Best regards

[gavinmatthewcox123]

@avefer Hmmm, I can see a debate coming on here, anyone else for a video glitch? @ 2:31 there is a downwards pitch shift with a slowing of tempo, this really sounds like a slowing of the video tape to me!

[voiceofreason79]

Additionally & as irrelevent as this may be, after 25 years of studying the classical guitar, I absolutely believe that the classical guitar cannot be played any better than John Williams plays it. I'd go so far as to say that I prefer his interpretation of virtually every piece he's ever recorded. His playing & phrasing is virtually immaculate.

John Williams is hands-down the most exceptional talent the instrument has seen.

[potrodsas]

@voiceofreason79

If what you say about Williams is what you believe,and this not a joke,perhaps it's time to move to something else and leave the guitar.You didn't learn much in 25 years so..

[voiceofreason79]

@potrodsas I think having two ABRSM Grade 8s in guitar & piano & a degree in music, qualifies me to have an opinion on the matter. It is just an opinion aswell. Rather than belittling me, perhaps you'd like to contribute an opinion of your own?

[mcouzijn]

@voiceofreason79 Man, even if you were John Williams himself (who you aren't) then your preference for John Williams would still be nothing more than your own preference. It is simply not valid for other people, who have different tastes than you have. Anyone is equally 'qualified' to appreciate music and to prefer some artists over other artists. Didn't they teach you this in music school? It should be part of every qualification you can get there, specially teaching qualifications.

[voiceofreason79]

@mcouzijn Re-read my posts & bare witness to me stating, myself, that it's a matter of opinion. You should consider reading comments before you reply to them.

[mcouzijn]

@voiceofreason79 You are contradicting yourself. Boasting & bragging about your "having two ABRSM Grade 8s in guitar & piano & a degree in music" and "having studied guitar for 25 years" that would "qualify me to have an opinion on the matter" apparently shows that you DON'T think this is just "a matter of opinion". It is inconsequent to state that an opinion both depends on qualifications and is nothing but a personal preference. Please read my comment before replying to it.

[DHTCF]

@voiceofreason79 John Williams has a truly exceptional technical facility, and a mastery of rythm without equal. But I find that where the music requires a bit more sublety to bring out the best in it, Bream is better. I prefer Williams playing Albeniz, or Rodrigo, but with Bach I prefer Bream. With Villa -Lobos, don't know.

[voiceofreason79]

@DHTCF I studied Bach at university with a guy who was considered the 'guru' as far as the classical guitar & Bach were concerned. Williams worked alongside him frequently & Williams' interpretations of Bach are about as perfect as they could be, give or take.

It does come down to opinion of course & you're right. I wouldn't consider Bream up there with my top 5 personally, nor Segovia for that matter, controversial as that may sound.

[SenLinFu]

@voiceofreason79 What do you think of Russell? He is commonly seen as both technically and musical very gifted. While the main comment on Williams is that he isn't that musical.

So in that case Bream + Williams were a genius combo =]

[voiceofreason79]

@SenLinFu David Russell is a great player. In fact all of these players are great and have taken the instrument beyond that of your average advanced classical guitarist. I can't discredit any of them obviously.

I'm not sure who is saying that Williams isn't musical because unanimously, every teacher I ever had & every player I ever knew recognised that Williams is the most accomplished guitar player in the world & has been for a great number of years.

[voiceofreason79]

Put it this way. If every musician played music exactly as the composer intended it, then there'd be no differentiation between one player & the next. You'd just hear exactly the same interpretation of a piece played by a different player...which is bad.

Contrary to that & IMO however, Bach's music should be played exactly as intended. I don't think there is any room for pretentious, self-indulgent & over-exaggerated rubato & emotion when playing Bach. Bach is the Meshuggah of Baroque!

[jayandchrissy1111]

Guys just listen to the music and enjoy it

[MrSnorlax22]

WHO CARES!!! it doesn't take a Brazilian to play Brazilian music nor does it take a German to play German music. We have an example that is a pearl right in front of us! Julian Bream plays real MUSIC! He captures the essence of Bach just as well as Villa-Lobos, Albeniz and Rodrigo! For me Mr. Bream transmits a real sentiment that truly speaks to me. And thanks to his genius musicianship and the virtuosic compositions he plays he creates a timeless musical emotion. This is pure joy!

[mcouzijn]

Such a shame that Brazilians like Turibio cannot play Bach the way Bach is meant to be played. Brazilian musicians simply lack the German soul.

Same is true for Mozart of course. And Händel. And Brahms and Mahler. And Tchaikovsky (Brazilians lacking Russian soul). And Shostakovich. And Britten or Purcell, for obvious reasons.

What music *can* the Brazilians actually play, apart from indigenous music like Villa Lobos's dances?

Or maybe we shouldn't take the 'nationality argument' so seriously?

[JahnkeML]

Julian Bream is undoubtedly a genious, but he got it all wrong on this one D:

Doesn't sound like a choro at all.

Cheers from Brasil. :)

[sergioguitars]

where is the "B" part?did he skip it,or did the tv cut it,or did he forget it?

[bryan2j]

@drcuddlebunny he skipped the da capo to fit the piece into a tv segment.

[Theanimal1990]

Why is it, that it sounds like the piece changes key or something around 2:30? The fingering seems the same as in te first time he plated that part. Must say it does sound better that way.

[claudioaraki]

Very good!!! However Turíbio sounds better, maybe because he add a touch of brazilian "violeiro" in his interpretation.

[newislandguitar]

not bad! one of my favorites!

[BebopBeibi]

Bream is a MARVELLOUS guitarist, that goes without saying, but I dont think this performance of Choro n1 was one of the best.

To achieve the very same sounds that Villa Lobos "meant" is really hard... If you compare with Turíbio's version, you can feel the difference between energy input.

(:

B.

[crazzydave81]

Bream's, his technique is a whole lot better than George Russell's.

[GiovatraBass]

aff , cago na musica

[kei19690113]

Nice. Thank you. (TS)

[steffanii]

oh my gosh, 2:30 really threw me off. was it the tape?

[oknarbtal]

@steffanii

yeah, sounds a half step flatter. probably the tape

[oknarbtal]

@urmacdonahue

No it doesn't modulate, check your sheet music. You can't modulate just like that on a guitar. You can clearly see by his playing that he plays the in same finger positions and yet it sounds step flatter.

[drcuddlebunny]

Can anyone who is familiar with this music tell me why he is skipping a little over 50 measures? There is no way he had that big of a memory slip. For anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about listen to David Russells version. (No offense I'm just curious)

[yangmagic0703]

@drcuddlebunny he did skip a part in C major.

[maidenmadness1]

Such an odd picking technique...

[DerangedRanger1]

2:30 Dude, I didn't know classical guitars had whammy bars! Cool!

[KikoDorea]

well, let's give Bream a break, he's not Brazilian... he did his best, which is awesome playing as usual... everybody knows he always seems to "spice" his interpretations to his particular taste, that's one of the reasons he stands out, but to get our country's rhythmic feeling would take another whole life...

[BebopBeibi]

@KikoDorea Totally right. =)

[KikoDorea]

@BebopBeibi thanks! too bad people give little importance to authenticity...

[hellstoast]

david russells performance of this piece is way better imo. you guys should check him out

[MrDanny0809]

se comio una parte verdad??

[TheSwarlesBarkley]

I love Julian Bream, but this is simply a terrible performance compared to everything else I've heard by him.

[Tauptu]

He's clearly not happy with his playing. I think that most people will think that this was wonderful. And they're right. Its just not Bream at his best.

[matiasluna]

feo

[allan2098]

He does seem to miss out on a whole section of this piece..

It was shortened for the TV slot I suppose.

[notral007]

David Russel plays better then you

[GoodNamesWereUsed]

lol. STFU and listen. if you don't like, don't listen.

plp are always arguing about something useless.

[avalokiteshivara]

Bream é um grande violonista, sem duvida,

mas esta gravação está longe de ser a melhor interpretação dele tocando villa-lobos, um choro é sempre gostoso de ser ouvido, sem interrupções abruptas, de maneira maleavel e continua. Oque alias ele não soube colocar.

Mas valeu.

[Domthenours]

Dear fellows,

I deeply respect the art of Julian Bream. But please, instead of comparing him to Turibio Santos or other great players, just listen the version of Heitor Villa-Lobos himself. I didn't knew the Master was such a great player himself. This "dance" in fact is full of life, and never academic.

[allan2098]

All this Brazilian soul cr@p. Mr Bream was and probably still is the foremost expert on Villa Lobos guitar interpretation.

This may have been a dance but it was written for classical guitar and should be interpreted such. I have listened to Turibio's version and found it mechanical and lacking the musical depth of maestro Bream. So much for Brazilian soul. This Englishman has more.

[egordilho]

Beautiful execultion.

Listen to my arrangement for a group of choro. Five musicians playing: "Choro na Praça" from Rio de Janeiro.

[robertazue]

Je crois qu'il manque la 2°partie...

[brtherjohn]

Villa-Lobos is said to have bought a number of JB's first VL recording of the Preludes back in the 50's to distribute them amongst his friends and collegues. That should tell one about

such Brazilian soul...

[Doa3066]

You have to watch the Brazilian Turibio Santos playing this piece. He has the Brazilian soul, necessary to interpret Villa Lobos.

[capitainehaddoque]

@Doa3066 Just playing the Notes Villa Lobos wrote down isn't anything particularly Brazilian either. Santos just keeps playing the rhythm noted down - which is just what Bream ignores. So much for mystical "soul" crap.

[as7cordas]

Missing Brazilian soul ... Villa-Lobos was very Brazilian and all his music has the spirit of Brazil ... and it seems that it lacks the rhythmic tropical and Brazilian ... is dry there must be more humidity seems too formal .... any good Brazilian guitarist play better ... I said good guitarist .....

[Heimdalll]

Yes, I have to agree. Turibio's version is mutch better. I think it's the old talking about tango, samba and choro, the "feeling" and everything.

But on the Preludes, Julian really got the feeling.

[9258255]

Turibio Santos is the owner of Villa Lobos Museum in Rio de Janeiro, and an interpreter rather than the juliam Bream, / watch? V = lqnVCIzyVEU

[MelasChupa]

Bravo!!!!!

[keto6789]

Bream is the best!!! J. Williams is a robot!!!

[marinhomarape]

Perfect, Excellent!

[nascoboi]

The best version: Turibio Santos,

search for user: "noitedaserestapiraci"

[MrPFMneto]

Guys watch the Turbinio Santos' version is much much better, Juliam Brean didnt get the spirit of Choro.

Concerteza a interpretação do Turbinio é bem melhor sem duvidas

[MelasChupa]

Well give him a break his is an engishman...

[thejugglenaut91]

yah but if you listen to villa lobos playing it you'll see why santos's version is crap!

[letdowner]

I kind of agree. I watched the version with Santos playing it and he is undeniably awesome at playing Villa-Lobos. His interpretation seemed much more straight, Bream has more rubato (slowing down, changing bpm's), and is just way, way up there so I trust his version.

[senhordanoite3]

prefiro o turíbio santos!

[elseverwoerd]

It was Bream's rendition of this glorious Villa-Lobos piece that first drew me to the spanish guitar.

I don't care if his playing is 'authentically Brazilian' or not. I hope Bream doesn't care either. He makes beautiful music of the notes, that is what counts.

[b0b1919]

@elseverwoerd Also he makes lots of money

[mcouzijn]

@b0b1919 And the relevance of this information is?

[tokaicarl]

@elseverwoerd yeahh too right

[tuz345]

there's no difference between eminem and beethoveen music is music. when you guys wise up you will understand what im saying.

[jmpaula]

And there's no difference between you and an egg-plant.

[apeloki]

good response!!

[Y2H]

When you are smarter you will understand classical music better!

[thejugglenaut91]

have you ever listened to Beethoven? I seriously doubt it

[OriginalRitz]

the recording gets fucked up at 2:32. slows down a bunch....

but this performance is extremely tasteful otherwise

[zen234]

Wot,s a Bunch!

[priapus56]

A collective noun.

[JmJones2]

something about his right hand freaks me out

[tuz345]

wat could scare you about it?

[Telazivis]

He doesn´t have the feeling of the brazilian "choro"!

[yukifujita]

that's true, maybe not the feeling but the rhythm isn't particulally original choro

[agvap]

scarying to see him without hairs xD

[bilotta86]

it must miss a part...

[tarquin161234]

I love Bream but don't like the way he messes up the rythm here

[BMDguitar]

Julian's interpretations are the best! I play this piece and have learned a lot from this video thanks for posting it.

[zen234]

Pebble Mill at One was the Programme ON BBC1

Early 80'S

[zen234]

late 80's

[pengeaumont270508]

Gotta love Breamo!!! Its really great to see more videos of great man being posted on here!