John Williams : Hector Villa-Lobos - Prelude no.5

[TheEs379]

"Sigh" If only the lost Villa-Lobos prelude No.6 were found, the villa-lobos preludes would be complet.

[sammyenjosh]

Don't you dare scroll down! Now go back up and watch his awesomeness!

[ruberte1]

I wish to play like that!

[LUCADEMICXS]

john williams is a good guitarist but in my opinion as he grew older he started ruining more songs just by playing them way too fast. if this is the "rebirth" then why so fast? it should sound the way the composer wanted it

[archegui]

too fast for me.. but john williams rules.

[MsAzz12345]

holyshit. he is the finest guitarist in his generation, no doubt about it.

[matonmarshall]

Sounds like he's running late for his bus. Doesn't seem to be much emotion there.

[cal679]

@matonmarshall far too many guitarists read "emotion" and "expression" as "rubato" and "picking hand so far up it's above the frets". playing it at this tempo makes the subtleties in the rhythm, where it slips between 3/4 and 6/8, more noticable. plenty of south american waltzes use this technique to give the rhythm a more jittery feel which can be lost when it's slowed down

[igotsmoshedify]

i shall invest in zis piece...

[qarzaq]

He plays it like he's angry at the song and just wants it over. Hence the ugly moment at 2:04. Just about every other version I looked at puts more emotion into it. I honestly do not feel the great maestro connects with the melody of this song.

[FretboardToAsh]

Hector. *snorts*

[Boldstrummer]

Seems very heavy handed and dry. There is such pathos that is not even hinted at.

[FHgitarre]

This Prelude is incredible hard to play in its written 6/4 bar. But ... much easier, if interpreted as 3/4...

Over the years I heard hundreds of interpretations, but never a single one-, not even from the greatest players-, which is played in a swinging (!) 6/4. Though I played almost each guitar composition of Villa-Lobos, I also always failed in this one and had to give it up. Maybe this Prelude is unplayable ? (If someone knows a recording in a real 6/4 please tell me)

[fabo92]

@FHgitarre But if it was written in 6/4, why interpreting as a 3/4??

[woodencardboard]

@FHgitarre Technically, I think the difference between 6/4 and 3/4 was that although each third beat is accented (ONE two three; ONE two three FOUR five six), in 6/4 the first beat of every measure is accented more than the fourth beat. So, ONE two three Four five six, or something like that. Imagine the difference between 3/8 and 6/8. Given Villa-Lobos, however, he was probably just doing whatever he wanted, as he always does.

[FHgitarre]

@woodencardboard

I just sang it with the score. I'm almost sure, that Villa-Lobos had my kind of phrasing in mind.

And that would be a swinging/singing melodic one, which goes even more than over one bar. But John Williams, he scrambles it even in half bars, this is what I really hate in those kinds of interpretation of the Prelude 5.

(Btw I admire most of John Williams' recordings)

[hugjsk]

show off...

[ronjazz1]

This version is full of feeling and nuance. Anybody missing that has a built-in bias against good playing.

[MeckelBot]

@ronjazz1 your comment is full of shit and is typical of a prick. so now people cant enjoy music at different levels? wow, isnt the world a boring place

[ronjazz1]

@MeckelBot

Your comment says far more about you than about either me or maestro Williams. LOL!!

[oknarbtal]

This is a very precise and, of course, great version from this master. Although, Bream owns in interpreting Villa-Lobos, I think Bream's version is much more colourful and more sophisticated, as usual.

[eirinikos]

The composor's name is HEITOR. Oh, and this is the dryest performance I've ever seen. Williams sucks.

[ronjazz1]

@eirinikos Of course Williams sucks, that's why everybody's buying your recordings!

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[albertuss90]

the second part in my opinion, its too fast (meno), its like no feelings on it. i prefer narciso yepes playing.

[albertuss90]

@albertuss90 you can find yepes playing villa-lobos at spotify. write "narciso yepes villa-lobos".

[fodera6]

I really don't like his interpretation. It's such a bright tempo and he plows through the chords with little regard for feeling or subtlety. As I like to say, "just playing the notes." Brasileiros are the best at it but Bream does a great job of it too. Check out Bream's masterclass that rareguitarvideos put up on this piece. Just my preference, of course.

[csm120]

This has nothing to do with nacionality. I think that the best performer of the 5 preludes is Julian Bream, but I prefer Turibio Santos playing the first one.

[fodera6]

I also like J. Caballero's interpretations as well. While we would like to believe that nationality has nothing to do with it, I don't think we can deny the fact that Brazilians will have an upper hand playing Brazilian music. When you are exposed to music throughout your lifetime (living the music) it reaches the subconscious level and defines you. That's not to say that outsiders can't beautifully interpret the music, just that their cultural awareness of the music will not be nearly as deep.

[dlevita]

the king!!!

[buno7777]

Oh nice, thanks for sharing!

[namibal]

le sale feo



[n64321]

Juan Carlos Laguna, mexican player, his version is the best. Hate this prelude when played sooooo fast, theres nothing at all when played this fast.

[diegoarboli]

I don´t like this version at all, with all respect to Williams. This is not the prelude no. 4 so you can question why someone puts "slow down". There is sooooooo much to extract from this prelude when you play it at a proper tempo that not too many anglosaxon players, masters included, can percieve. And this is said keeping in mind that Williams plays Barrios veeery well.

[djc19821]

@diegoarboli When you say, "There is so much to extract....that not many angloxason (sic) players, masters included, can perceive" are you saying that anglo-saxons have bad hearing? or maybe that they lack some passion inherent in South Americans?

If you took out the anglo-saxon part your comment would be less offensive and more correct.

[diegoarboli]

@djc19821

I´m sorry to say "indeed, that´s what I tried to say". And I´m not saying that anglo saxons aren´t capable of perceiving the latin american feeling, but I AM saying that not too many can. And when you quoted me, you forgot to put the important part of my quote: "... AT A PROPER TEMPO".

[djc19821]

@diegoarboli I cut that part out cause it had nothing to do with what annoyed me in your quotation. I only wanted to bring out the portion that singles out anglo-saxons and their difficulty hearing the "latin feeling." You could say that you think Latins play it best. But to single out a group? Why? Can Asians hear it? Can Africans hear it? Would you be annoyed if I generalized as you do by race and said you're not understanding the distinction because Latins (usually) reason poorly?

[diegoarboli]

@djc19821

I am talking about anglo saxons and latins because this piece was written by a latin composer and this version is played by a descendent of anglo saxons (I put that before you start implying that I think John Williams is English). I really didn´t think I needed to explain that one. Asians? Not only I can tell you that Kazuhito Yamashita will NEVER understand the latin feeling, but I can also tell you that he is the worst Bach interpreter ever! Africans? I haven´t heard of any

[diegoarboli]

@diegoarboli

For instance, I can and will never say that a Latin American guitarist is the best interpreter of baroque music, or japanese music for guitar, that is just common sense, because he may lack of feeling some natural aspects for interpreting that music. As I am saying that "not too many anglosaxon players (because of THIS Williams example), masters included, can percieve. And I can assure you that if Williams slows down a bit here, he will naturally interpret lots of other things.

[diegoarboli]

@djc19821

classical guitar player from that continent. In any case, my initial point is that, no matter if played by a Chinese, an anglo saxon or any other, the very first people who will understand Latin American music for interpretation will, obviously, be Latin Americans, when other players, wherever they come from, may feel virtuosity and/or velocity is the way to go. And this comparison can go for many examples.

[nilsonbjr]

Está rápido demais,não gostei,retirou a leveza da peça!!!

[roelhoogendoorn]

This man is technically INSANE...

yet emotionally disconnected from this (and alot more) piece completely, no pleasure in listening at all... :(

[JapJackson]

@roelhoogendoorn

Agreed - this is a pretty horrid interpretation.

[GreenAppleM2008]

If by any chance it's fast you have to accept it because John Williams is playing it ... 

[aloharosa]

slow down? are you kidding? this the rhythm of brazilian guitar. The music is this way.

[GyveTurckee]

@aloharosa Whatever, it's classical music not bossa nova.

[lbrandaovieira5]

@aloharosa Is writen the sheet music, "Poco Animato" on the first part, and not "Piu Animato"!

[keto6789]

too fast ..... slow down!

[Vyny7]

2 : 04 hauhaa He`s mistakes

[mathmoser]

schweeer!!!!!

[msutton2006]

very tight, articulate, and clean..just a little too fast for me though

[leibniz771]

Maestro

[guitarclasic4693]

lindo preludio de villalobos

excelente matizacion del maestro williams

simplemente excelente

[odeodu]

que bien toca maestro

[odeodu]

que bien toca maestro