NC Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The soul of the Spanish guitar runs in Pablo Sáinz Villegas' blood. Born and raised in La Rioja, Sáinz Villegas is praised for his singing tone and consummate technique. He is known for sound so rich and full that it does not require amplification. He studied in Weimar and at the Manhattan School of Music and has appeared with orchestras in more than 30 countries.
Joaquín Rodrigo's three movement guitar concerto Concierto de Aranjuez was composed in Paris in 1939 and is infused with Spanish landscapes and the Spanish heat. Rodrigo and his wife carried the manuscript with them back to Barcelona just before the Second World War broke out and the work was premièred in Barcelona in November 1940.
Pablo Sáinz Villegas (guitar), NZ Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Shelley
Recorded 29 July 2017, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert.
Producer: David McCaw
Engineer: Graham Kennedy
While he was in Wellington, Pablo Sáinz Villegas popped into the RNZ studio to share stories about the music he loves, including Recuerdos de la Alhambra / Memories of the Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega. Needless to say, he made everyone's day!
