065 CD / What about this, Mr. Tárrega?
Description
At a concert in 1862 a small 10-year-old boy listened to a modest-looking guitar. It was "La Leona", an experiment by guitar-builder Antonio Torres. He never forgot that sound. Six years later he acquired his first own "Torres". Much later, in 1894, by which time Francisco Tárrega had long since become the world′s most famous guitarist, he finally held his dream in his hands. This legendary instrument is recorded here for the first time on disc. And there is more: Wulfin Lieske plays the best instruments by the world′s most famous guitar manufacturers for comparison...
4 reviews for 065 CD / What about this, Mr. Tárrega?
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Image-hifi 4/2025 S. 144 –
Guitar making follows principles that are centuries, if not millennia, old. Strings are stretched over a resonating body. They are shortened in length by fretting and then plucked. In the mid-19th century, the Andalusian luthier Antonio Torres perfected the guitar, giving the lower strings more depth and the overall sound greater resonance and clarity. His innovations influenced guitar construction far beyond Spain, though Torres never established a standardized model. In this respect, guitar making differs from violin making: it is far more innovative. While there is certainly a vibrant tradition and legendary names like Manuel Ramirez, Santos Hernández, and Hermann Hauser I, this legacy has proven to be more inspiring than restrictive. Whereas bowed string instruments almost universally still feature spruce tops and maple backs and generally follow the renowned Italian models quite closely, guitar makers enjoy far greater freedom — from their choice of wood, to the number and pattern of the top bracing, to the use of sandwich-style tops ("double tops"). Though not yet predominant in modern concert guitar construction, these double tops — unlike, for instance, carbon-fiber string instruments — have already been widely accepted by soloists, as they allow them to project better in larger performance spaces.
How different the instruments of the most renowned Spanish guitar makers sound — from 1856 (“La Leona” by Antonio de Torres) to 1958 (Ignacio Fleta) — was already demonstrated by Wulfin Lieske in 1998, in front of Andreas Spreer’s tube microphones. Performing repertoire ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach to Leo Brouwer, including an earworm by Francisco Tárrega, namely Preludio Lágrima, Lieske plays the piece in succession on seven different instruments. Each guitar reveals its own character and stands out as unmistakably unique — an impression further emphasized by Lieske’s decision to tune them to chamber pitches between 415 and 440 hertz. In addition to the fabulous guitar playing and the outstanding sound quality that helped establish Tacet as an audiophile label, the release includes a booklet with photos and detailed texts on each instrument. Anyone interested in the classical concert guitar cannot afford to miss What about this Mr. Tárrega?.
Heinz Gelking
Fanfare-Magazin –
" ... an imaginative and fascinating disc... Most of us take the sound of a guitar for granted; yet there is a myriad of subtle differences ... This is most effectively demonstrated on the last seven tracks when the same short Lagrima ba Tárrega is played on each of the seven instruments ... The sound, as is the case with all Tacet discs, is exceptional"
Akustik Gitarre –
"This incredible CD is an absolute must for the famous desert island."
SPIEGEL, Kultur Extra –
"Spaniard Antonio de Torres was the Stradivari of guitar making. His newly designed instruments with larger scale lengths became the model for the modern concert guitar. Now, the sound of his famous 'La Leona,' built in 1856, has been documented on CD for the first time. Guitarist Wulfin Lieske demonstrates in six pieces by Francisco Tárrega just how warm, soft, and yet resonant 'La Leona' sounds. Lieske also performs works by Albéniz, Piazzolla, and Villa-Lobos on six other master guitars. The comparison of instruments is a delight — not just for guitar aficionados."