Sonatas Transcribed for Guitar

Yepes writes in his preface to the listener that his goal was to transcribe, in the most accurate way he could, simple keyboard pieces unto an extended range guitar - as well as transcribe them to guitar as if they were written and meant for the instrument as well. No doubt Yepes was an honest and integral musician when it came to his performances - it is one of the reasons he has been historically lauded as one of the greats.Many other guitarists have done similar workings with Scarlatti to a degree and it's easy to see why: Scarlatti's keyboard music, for all intents and purposes, just lacks depth and personality on it's face - a common curse many composers of the era bear due to a variety of historical and cultural factors (this is all my opinion, of course). It almost seems as if Yepes struck gold with the selection he chose: The compositions feel uncannily native to the guitar, and I believe this is directly related to Scarlatti's Italian caricature in his music. But we can simply point to geographically unrelated composers like Bach, who wrote amazing Lute music, and compare this very nativeness seamlessly.Whether you agree that transcriptions are rightfully 'the composition' or not, there is no denying, in my view, given Yepes seriousness of detail and integrity, that Scarlatti unintentionally made some of the best guitar music of the baroque era. Yepes actualized this to the most possible extent, and it was, admittedly, my first foray into classical guitar, and it remains my top pick of all time.My favorites on the record are definitely the virtuosic K 146, the giddy K. 42 and 322, the dramatic K. 34 and K. 77, though I honestly usually listen to the entire record from start to end if I ever pick it up. It feels like a masterclass that ought to be enjoyed in it's entirety.I have to give it a 4 stars not for the content, but the condition of the casing that I received when I finally received it in the mail. This is common amongst CD-ROM cases that have been around for 30+ years of use and so on, so it's mostly a nitpick - but do keep in mind that you will most likely get a cracked casing when ordering one of these. The CD was in great shape, though.Overall: I 100% recommend to anyone who is even remotely curious about classical guitar as a study and for joyous listening. The music is fantastic, the production has held up fantastically over the years.

Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas are often described as "guitaristic," but few recorded guitar performances back up this claim. In Yepes's performance, they sound "natural and flowing, as if they had been composed for the guitar in the first place." Those are Yepes's words, and no better support could be found than K 446, titled "Pastorale." All other performers, including Pletnev, play this work in an other-worldly fashion, but Yepes makes it glow through instrumental color and a non-draggy tempo. Other gems on this album include K 474, a worthy companion to the Valenti recording, and K 377.

thank you

Il s'agit d'une transcription, et sans doute Yepes était-il un grand guitariste. L'original au clavecin est incontournable, on peut trouver que le piano sous des doigts géniaux (comme M. Meyer en particulier) donne une autre dimension à ces pièces qui valent mieux que des "bis" de pianistes virtuoses. Qu'apporte la guitare, même si certaines sonates "évoquent" la guitare ? gout personnel, j'hésite entre 3 et 4 étoiles.