Christopher Parkening - Vars on A Theme of Mozart (Track 06) Celebrates Segovia ALBUM

Christopher Parkening is celebrated as one of the world’s preeminent virtuosos of the classical guitar. The Washington Post called him “the leading guitar virtuoso of our day, combining profound musical insight with complete technical mastery of his instrument.” The New York Times described his playing as “so intelligent, sensitive and adept that one can forget everything but the music.” Parkening’s performances, recordings, and collaborations, which have included artists such as Kathleen Battle, Renée Fleming, Placido Domingo, Josh Groban, Jubilant Sykes, and composers/conductors John Williams and Elmer Bernstein, have received the highest worldwide acclaim. A frequent soloist with leading orchestras, Parkening has performed at the White House and appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, and The Grammy® Awards. Christopher Parkening was perhaps the greatest student of the greatest guitarist ever. Andrés Segovia, finding no tradition of guitar technique, re-invented it himself, rescuing the classical guitar from obscurity. Segovia was a philosophical musician in the tradition of Pablo Casals, and like Casals, teaching became a very important creative outlet for him. In Parkening, he found a gifted student just as dedicated to his craft. PARKENING CELEBRATES SEGOVIA is Christopher Parkening's tribute to the great master. These are the works that Segovia himself liked to perform, and some of them are his most famous transcriptions. The Segovia/Bach "Chaconne" is almost perfect; after hearing it, critics wrote that one might think the solo violin version was the transcription! Parkening honors his mentor with a warm sound and a wonderful sense of rubato. His playing is not quite as straightforward as Segovia's, but his technique is flawless. The Chaconne is particularly moving and well-paced.