Virtuoso Guitar
Lily Afshar
The title "Virtuoso Guitar" is no exaggeration for Lily Afshar's incredible DVD. While Dr. Afshar's flawless playing puts her in the top echelon of classical guitarists today, the amazing breadth of her repertoire puts her in a class of her own. On this DVD we get performances of both old and newly-composed pieces from Iran, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Cuba, and Argentina. While few guitarists are even aware of the musical traditions of these different countries, Lily Afshar demonstrates a deep understanding and personal interpretation of every one of the eight selections she performs.
An unexpected bonus on the DVD is Lily Afshar's detailed comments on each of the pieces played. This background enhances the enjoyment of each piece, and introduces us to the various musical traditions represented here. The most fascinating background is that of the 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, which was the subject of Lily Afshar's doctoral thesis. This work was proclaimed by Segovia as probably the greatest work for classical guitar of the 20th century, and yet he died before being able to play it. While impossible to say, it seems unlikely that he could have played it any better than Dr. Afshar's stunning performance here. Her seemingly effortless virtuosity is matched by her most sensitive interpretation.
Of special note are the Five Popular Persian Ballads arranged by Lily Afshar. These have a special beauty that gets better each time you listen. Guitarists will be happy to learn that the music to this set has been published at a very reasonable price. You can buy them from Amazon.com
Aside from the wealth of music performed, this DVD is a gold mine of information for guitarists. I have to say the Lily Afshar has the most perfect hand position I have ever seen. Her movements are precise, concise, and efficient in both left and right hands. It is nothing less than spectacular to see her right hand thumb pick out a melody on the same strings that her other fingers are executing a tremolando without interrupting the flow of either! This is just one of the many spots that will have you rewinding to check if your eyes were deceiving you.
The most pressing reason to buy this DVD is to see Lily Afshar play. While her CD's are excellent representations of her talent, seeing her perform is an unforgettable experience. It is particularly enthralling to see how she plays the fretlets on the guitar neck, and to realize the precision that it takes to hit them correctly at speed, a feat that Dr. Afshar performs repeatedly and flawlessly.
Any classical guitarist simply must have this DVD. It will also be of great interest to anyone interested in fingerstyle guitar or world music, or anyone who enjoys great playing of fascinating music.
Kudos to Mel Bay for one of the most exciting DVD's in their catalog.
Very highly recommended!
You can buy this DVD from:
AMAZON.COM: Lily Afshar: Virtuoso Guitar
or