Paco Pena

Although entitled "Guitar Masterpieces" the music is MOSTLY big band with some guitar lead. This CD does not feature the guitar. Very disappointing.....

This has been one of my favorite CD's for a long time. So much so, I bought a copy for my new boyfriend [I was afraid he might want to borrow my copy and not give it back ;-) ]

And the most special little nugget on this CD is the Theme from the Deer Hunter. This nearly brings me to tears every time I hear it. So moving and powerful.

If you enjoy classical guitar, You will love this collection.

While I always prefer CDs featuring a few composers, having a focus, this CD does a great job at going from all the medley of essential guitar pieces. It's got all the ones I'd like to have, in that sense "Essential" is correct. The recordings are good, I knew about half/two thirds of the pieces, and I'm not always wowed but never disappointed by the performances, in some cases very pleasantly surprised, esp. those by Eduardo Fernandez, Nicola Hall, and Pepe Romero. A discovery: the Estudio Brilliante, by Allard (end of CD2). I really like to put this CD in the background at work (on iPod), at home. My wife is a professional musician (violin) and cringes at bad performances and isn't interested in average usually, so it's telling that she also likes this CD. In fact, it's soothing and relaxing enough that it's actually put her to sleep once! Overall, I really like two thirds of the pieces on this CD, the other ones are nice enough (I'll play through, but won't select them expressly), and there are a few great ones. And the price is great. What's not to like?

This may be the best money I've ever spent. I got 2-1/2 hours of bliss for less than what I'd usually pay for one CD -- and you know how it is with music. You buy an album because of a song or two that you love, and you find that you like maybe half the songs on it. There's not a single selection in this one that I would've left out. It includes Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, performed by Pepe Romero on the guitar with the Acadamy of St. Martin in the Fields. I needed to replace my old LP recording of that. But I also get 30 other classical compositions and traditional Spanish pieces, each special in its own way.

Have you ever heard music that you wanted to last forever, maybe even to dive inside and live there for a while, immersing yourself in sound? That's how I feel about this collection. The only problem I have with it is that I bought it thinking it might be nice to listen to while I write. Not so. It's terrible for that. I'll sit with my hands poised above the laptop keyboard, assuring myself I'll get some work done while I listen. The music takes hold and carries me away.

I'm not expert at describing this or any type of music. I just know what I love. You might too, if you enjoy classical or Spanish guitar -- unless you have absurd expectations about combining listening with work.

This CD for me was a waste of money. Its just not what i thought it would be. Others may enjoy it but for me..it wasnt what i was hoping to hear.

I totally agree with the other reviewers and won't say more on the music contained on this CD - it is simply the most beautiful PURE solo guitar flamenco I have ever heard!

I just wanted to comment and say that the sound quality on this CD is simply unbelievable. I am picky when it comes to sound, and own a 5,000+ pair of speakers. Whenever I want to show off my speakers capability to somebody, I put on this CD. The hand clapping, the guitar, and the clicking of the castanets are so incredibly rich in detail and vibrant in color that they often startle people who think there somebody is playing music in the room.

It doesn't matter if you are new to flamenco, or a long-time fan - get this gem of a CD jam-packed with 80 minutes of ingenious flamenco guitar.

When I first got into Flamenco guitar I was told Paco Pena was among the best
and most underappreciated. He's a professor of Flamencology in Holland I think. At the time I heard about him you couldn't get much of his stuff on CD at all... so its great to hear this master doing what he does best, Traditional Flamenco

This beautiful CD makes for a wonderful introduction to the world of flamenco music. If you are already a fan, this will make a terrific addition to your collection, showcasing traditional flamenco at its best. The guitar work is exquisite--Paco Pena is truly a master of the instrument. Nearly every song is a winner, IMHO. Although easily worth a much higher price (Flamenco is an underated genre in the US), this 100-minute CD (a re-release comprising of 2 vinyl LPs) is a great value, ringing in at considerably less than the average pop CD.

The complexity and beauty of the guitar is brilliantly displayed here by Paco Pena. Todays guitarists of the rock genre need to reflect and listen with great care at the musicianship and personal flair of Paco Pena. Flamenco has always been exquisite yet never so beautiful as this CD release. This is a gem!

I am not a guitarist but if I was I would forever lay my guitar to rest knowing that total masters of the difficult cypress wood instrument Jose Feliciano, Feliciano! Birelli Lagrene, Paco de Lucia and Paco Pena were in recital.

This CD set is a remastering of 1975 and 1977 album releases of "Fabulous Flamenco" and "La Gitarra Flamenca".

I am very surprised at the price of this CD set. Under $10.00. Are you kidding me?

A fine release to melt away conversation and urns of wine.

Much of this involves complex classical guitar pieces, including beautful work from classical guitarist John Williams of John Williams - The Seville Concert / John Williams, Paco Pena, Andres Segovia and Together Again/ Julian Bream & John Williams and the particiaption of Paco Pena of the aforementioned disk, who presents here his own composition La Calahorra.

Even with this strong European and Spanish influence of the highest, most classical and gentle variety, Inti Illimani never leaves the blessed earth of their birth, with the continual gentle and soothing and challenging presence of the Andean folklore instruments such as the zamponas, the quena and the charango. One song in particular presents in a beautiful soft context the pain of their Chilean nation after the Nixon-Kissinger overthrow of their democratically elected president Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973 and the subsequent decades of terrorism under the brutal military dictatorship of Pinochet, which produced the massacre, murder, torture, disappearance and exile of hundreds of thousands of Chileans, including Inti Illimani itself, warned by the brutal torture, dismemberment and death of fellow musician Victor Jara by the bloody Pinochet police.

We have here therefore a plaintiff and very elaborate music of great gentility and depth, complexity and immense prodigious talent, mainly composed by band member Horacio Slainas, with the participation of the other musicians mentioned above. This is the best stepping stone into the beautiful music of Inti Illimani, and indeed to the music of all of the Andes, although we do not find here such other Inti pieaces like the famous folk piece Senora Chichera, which I used to play fiercely with a rousing Peruvian group.

Try this music and feel very much at home here, whether from EUropean classical background or Latin American. This music is brilliant and bright and healing and a good place to be, with much more to hear once more again one more time as you'll miss it the first one hundred times. Leave it playing quietly all the long night long and awake informed and refreshed.

This is a brilliant album - Inti-Illimani, John WIlliams, Paco Peña? C'mon! This is music that will reward patient listeners. This is deeply soulful, social protest music. Non-Spanish speakers should try to track down the lyrics and find a way of translating them, to appreciate the meaning and the sentiment.
As for the reviewer who copies and pastes the same review for all his reviews of Inti-Illimani's discs... "...the use of this review section as a political venue to praise Allende..." - I don't think one line in a review makes it a political venue, but you have just made it into one with your few paragraphs praising Pinochet.

It has been an enormous pleasure to listen to Inti Illimani for the past 20 years. Definitely great musicians and great recordings, to say the least. However the use of this review section as a political venue to praise Allende and call his deplorable and failed communist period in power exciting, and Pinochet's years "the frightening Pinochet years" (read reviews under The Best of Inti Illimani), can only come from the twisted mind of someone who still believes in 20th Century myths: the myth of Fidel Castro, the myth of Che Guevara, the myth of the proletariat, etc. Having survived 11 years in a communist country I know better, a lot better. All of us should by now. Unfortunately we do not. Look at Venezueza and now Bolivia, with the two puppets in power dancing to the music of Fidel Castro.
Frightening years for whom? For the communists and all members of the red tribe of disciples of Fidel Castro, of course. Today, to still call Pinochet a dictator and Fidel Castro "president" is beyond comprehension. Look at Chile today. Can anyone believe it could have become what it is now without eliminating Allende's regime and crushing the communists?
I give Inti Illimani an A for their music. Let us learn to appreciate their great music without praising their disastrous and failed political views. For that, they get capital F.

I used to buy Inti's LPs when I was 12 and I was schooling in Italy.
It still remains one of my favourite musical groups of all time.
Fragments of a Dream is, simply put, their masterwork, the one where Horacio Salinas reaches the greatest heights of inspiration in a blend I would call, at times, "modern Latin American baroque".
It starts with a piece inspired by my fatherland's folk music, Sardegna, and ends with a dismantling-cum-reconstruction of the principle of the dance worthy of any great classical composer. Brilliant

Esta reunión increible de músicos en Europa consagra a los Inti Illimani como artistas de mentalidad muy abierta, pues comparten trabajo con grandes personajes de la guitarra. Horacio Salinas despierta el punto de encuentro para exponer una hermosa obra que son lo más fiel del título del album FRAGMENTOS DE UN SUEÑO, primera parte de un gran trabajo que continuará en Leyenda.

When I first heard this music on our radio station, Classic 99,I was attracted by the haunting, melodic sounds of the flute and the birds which seemed to transport one's soul to edge of a forest or jungle. The music is sort of "different" but it is great. The guitars add that wonderful South American "flavor." The history of this group of Chilean musicians is included with the CD, and when you read that history, it causes you to remember how fortunate we are to live in the good ol' US of A, especially after the incidents of 9-11!!

I had never heard of this group before today. I first heard this disc on tape when I borrowed it from my grandmother of all people. I saw John Williams' name on the casset case and assumed that it was the same Williams of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame. I still don't know if it's the same guy, and I didn't even know that Inti-Illimani was the name of the group. Now years later having internet access, I was able to learn a little more about this musical gem. As for the album, I know it's all in Spanish, so if you're reading this and haven't picked up on that fact yet, consider yourself informed. The music itself is amazing, the guitars and wind insturments (some type of flutes?) work in such harmonious ways that I couldn't help but let myself be drawn in. The music puts me in a trance, it calms me and fills me with a kind of peace most of todays music knows nothing about. I now am making a point of getting this on disc as well as another one of Inti-Illimani's albums to boot.

Inti Illimani puede mostrar a lo largo de toda su carrera una variedad de colores y poesía, propios de aquellos artistas que de tan particulares terminan siendo universales.

Sin ningún tipo de complejos ni prejuicios, los Inti se atreven a incorporar a su repertorio lo mejor de la música del mundo, mientras esta música interprete fielmente los sentimientos y las ideas de este puñado de músicos ávidos por descubrir nuevas fronteras para una música que jamás las tendrá.

Un par de años antes ya habían realizado un disco soberbio con las incomparables colaboraciones de Paco Peña y John Williams; en "Leyenda" insisten en el formato con una grabación digital en vivo en Colonia (Alemania) en que recorren con idéntica sobriedad y alegre virtuosismo algo de su repertorio tradicional y mucho de sus frescas y permanentes búsquedas.

Ya no se trata solo de mostrar en Europa la canción latinoamericana en sus múltiples variedades de ritmos y sabores, sino también traer a Latinoamérica fragmentos de la música europea con la particualr mirada revisionista de esta indispensable banda chilena.

Describir cada una de sus nueve canciones podría resultar inútil, francamente creo que una audición concentrada y a solas podrá desplegarnos toda la magia de una música de ensueños.

La presentación en vivo en Colonia, con los grandes músicos como son los guitarristas John Williams y Paco Peña, consagran esta segunda parte de un trabajo que ya habian comenzado en FRAGMENTOS DE UN SUEÑO. El publico es tremendamente respetuoso en cada canción, sin interrumpir ningun tema, presentando la perfomance como un idilio de musica y pasion por el arte. Los temas enlazados que parten uno y terminan en otro, son impactantes por su delicada transformacion y pase sin violencia, o inusitado. CRONICAS DE UNA AUSENCIA es un relato sin palabras, pero decidor de fuertes sentimientos. Lastima que se hace poco al oido. Somos solo testigos de un gran momento y de un disco, que sabe ganarse un lugar en nuestro disqueria.

It really doesn't seem like 10 years ago, but I had the wonderful privilidge of seeing the Leyenda tour live. They actually started the concert with the second track on this CD, drenched in green light, making bird calls. It was like I was transported to a rainforest. And then the music began suddenly. What a way to get an audience's attention! The concert was twice the length of the CD, because they played a lot of their old favorites, which you can find on albums like "Fragments of a dream," "Imagination," and "Sing to me the dream." This is an absolutely wonderful recording that captures the feel of the concert. My favorites are "Juanito Laguna" for the touching lyrics, and "Sensemaya" for the sharp musical contrasts. The sonics are a little warm and fuzzy with a bit of a lack in the bass, which is probably just overcompensation for the fact that they recorded to a digital master. Most people probably won't notice this, however, and it really is quite listenable.

I am a long time Inti-Illimani fan, and have been listening to them since I was two years old. I have been to many of their concerts and met the group twice. This is definately one of my favorites. In the beginning, I bought all of my old Inti-Illimani recordings on casette, so when I found myself with a bit of extra change and a new stereo, this was the first one that I replaced with a CD.

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing that I got from the concert that can't be had from the CD was a chance to play Horacio Duran's charango backstage, and I count myself very lucky for that.

I contributed the cover photograph* and some of the booklet notes for this album, so I refrain from comment on the quality of the playing or the recordings. But here is some additional info that I hope will be of interest.

Ramón Montoya and Niño Ricardo were two giants of flamenco, and Paco's earliest influences. Paco remembers being taken by his father to see Montoya, and what a tremendous impression the concert made on him; Paco must have been very young indeed, for Montoya died in 1949. Ricardo was of course also a major influence on Paco de Lucía.

Paco and I did some of the transcriptions for this album together. At that time, neither Montoya's nor Ricardo's recordings were easily available, and Ricardo's still aren't, although both have now appeared in the Chant du Monde Grands Figures du Flamenco series. The bulk of Montoya's solo recordings were made in Paris in 1936.

You may or may not be familiar with the flamenco concept of compás. What this amounts to is that danceable flamenco forms have to fit into a fixed traditional rhythmic structure, so that a dancer and a guitarist can improvise together, and each will know within certain limits what the other one will do.

What is strange is that although in his recordings with singers Montoya's compás was immaculate, in his solo recordings (of which there aren't many) it was not infrequently all over the place. Various theories (such as pure absent-mindedness) have been advanced to account for this, none entirely convincing.

The reason I mention all this, is that for this recording, rather than copy Montoya's originals slavishly, Paco adjusted these pieces to put them back into compás.

This album has now been combined with Azahara to form the double album Flamenco Guitar, and is also available in surround sound (along with the Misa Flamenca) on Surround Yourself with Paco Peña.

*For those interested in such matters, it was taken in 1982 at an old inn, the Posada del Potro in Córdoba, while Paco was preparing to shoot a Spanish Television program about him. Tokina 28-80mm zoom.

Any fool who listens to this carefully can tell that Paco Pena's technique is astonishing. But to really appreciate the artistry and beauty of the music you need some good hifi equipment.
I have had this recording for 10 years and have listened to it on a wide range of equipment over those years. What I can hear now is wonderful: The full bite of the transient attack of the strings, the intermodulation of the harmonics, and the decay and ambient resonance of the chords. While this sounds technical, think about it: this is part of what makes Flamenco so beautiful, not simply the melody, but the mix of sounds coming from different aspects of the instrument and the environment.
And so if you are into hifi, I strongly recommend you get this recording to see what your equipment can do, and what it reveals in the music.
Flamenco is an interesting challenge for speakers. I remember when I was a kid hearing a demo of three prototypes of the Ohm Walsh cone speakers. They used a recording of Flamenco guitar for the demo. It was a remarkable performance from the speakers. But a person with a well-selected setup can get even better sound at a reasonable price these days than I heard back then.
Just remember that the point of hifi is further the enjoyment of the music. And that is what you can do with the recording: discover the beauty of Flamenco.

beautiful songs. paco pena, although not as fast as say sabicas, has excellent technique and feeling. really brings these songs to life. i respect his wanting to carry the torch of traditional flamenco forward to the next generation.

I have had the pleasure to hear Paco in concert on a number of occasions, and have always enjoyed the emotion as well as technical skill that he brings from/to the guitar. This album is an excellent representation of his style and abilities. The music is very accessable for all level of listeners. In other words, you don't have to be "really into" flamanco to be swept away by it. I have an other CD by Paco and really enjoy it, but it is not as accessable as this one. This CD should be part of the collecion for any lover of the guitar.

If you're just interested in Flamenco Guitar, you'd be better off with Paco's double album of that title, as this one includes selections from the Flamenco Mass and from the duet album of South American music with Eduardo Falú.

That said, this is a good introduction to Paco, especially if you can't afford all the other albums.

This is one of the best Flamenco recordings ever, particularly for players. The scores for some of the pieces are available through a variety of sources.

Tastefully selected from DG catalog of historic late 20th century classical guitar performances. The selections are well performed, well balanced in selection, and remastered. There are no bum or out of place tracks. 78 minutes of music per disk. Selections by Segovia, Williams, Romero, Bream, Yepes, Fernandez, Sollscher, and Pena.

I was looking for a music that give a little peace when I'm so stress and I got the solution, the Masters of the Guitar.

I have listened to my cd for over ten years, I have worn it out. I am an artist, and I have found that some of my very best work has been done during those hours listening to them! I now must buy a new cd!

The passion of Argentine folklore and Spanish flamenco come alive in this CD. I've always treasured any recording by Eduardo Falu. His collaboration with Paco Pena is a real winner.