David Russell Plays Air Varié No.1, Op.21 by Regondi

David Russell performs Air Varié No.1, Op.21 by Giulio Regondi (1822-1872) on classical guitar in San Martín. Frómista, Spain. This comes via the Omni Foundation series and their Youtube channel. Beautiful performance as always from Russell with excellent pacing and phrasing throughout. Below is an excerpt from these great liner notes by Colin Cooper via this Naxos album:

Giulio Regondi had a disturbed early life. His German mother seems to have vanished early in his childhood, and it was his Italian father (or stepfather, by some accounts) who brought him up and, a guitarist himself, presumably gave him his first lessons on the guitar. Teaching, however, gave way to exploitation, and when this manipulator disappeared with the young prodigy’s earnings, Giulio had a hard time of it. The help of friends and his own resilience ensured survival, though we shall never know how far this early trauma contributed to his untimely death at the age of fifty from a painful cancer.

Unlike many child prodigies, Regondi matured into an artist of poetic genius. His reputation increased accordingly. In childhood he had met and played in concert with the guitarist Catherine Josepha Pelzer (Madame Sidney Pratten). Fernando Sor dedicated Souvenir d’Amitié, Op.46, to him, and he was to give concerts with musicians such as the pianist Ignaz Moscheles, the singer Maria Malibran and the pianist Clara Schumann, all musicians at the top of their profession.

Regondi’s guitar compositions reflect not only his gentle nature but also the high romanticism of his period. The discovery by Matanya Ophee of 10 Etudes, previously thought to be lost, compelled a revaluation of Regondi’s contribution. The two Airs Variés, Op.21, and Op.22, can only reinforce the new respect that ensued. Each begins with a slow introduction, followed by an Andante theme, slightly operatic in character, after which come a number of variations (four in Op.22, five in Op.23) that show off the resources of the instrument: brilliant passages of demisemiquavers (32nd notes), a minor-key tremolo, consecutive ninths and triplets.