Very many guitarists have paid tribute to Segovia’s evangelistic work on behalf of the guitar in the twentieth century – his artistry, his establishing of a repertory that looked both backwards and forwards, his long concert career and, in some cases, his personal help. None has done so more faithfully and with greater affection than Elliot Fisk.
Fisk wisely makes no attempt to ape the style and sounds of Segovia’s performances – they were touched by genius but, as has been said of Landowska’s, “we don’t do it that way now”. Time has in all respects moved on. Fisk has recorded many of the pieces that were arranged by or written for Segovia, and he does it in his own way – with a pulse that is firmer than Segovia’s often was, and with moments of tonal sweetness that recall but do not mimic those of the maestro.
I once asked Segovia why he did not compose more: “Because composing and performing are both professional activities, and I do not have the time to do them both justice”. Nevertheless he did write many charming and beautifully crafted vignettes, some of which Fisk has recorded (three of them for the first time), and has included 16 of Segovia’s arrangements of folk-songs from various countries. The relationship between Segovia and Fisk was one of mutual respect and affection, and this magnificent recording pays ample tribute to it.'
Fisk wisely makes no attempt to ape the style and sounds of Segovia’s performances – they were touched by genius but, as has been said of Landowska’s, “we don’t do it that way now”. Time has in all respects moved on. Fisk has recorded many of the pieces that were arranged by or written for Segovia, and he does it in his own way – with a pulse that is firmer than Segovia’s often was, and with moments of tonal sweetness that recall but do not mimic those of the maestro.
I once asked Segovia why he did not compose more: “Because composing and performing are both professional activities, and I do not have the time to do them both justice”. Nevertheless he did write many charming and beautifully crafted vignettes, some of which Fisk has recorded (three of them for the first time), and has included 16 of Segovia’s arrangements of folk-songs from various countries. The relationship between Segovia and Fisk was one of mutual respect and affection, and this magnificent recording pays ample tribute to it.'
Performers