Villa on Vinyl #1, Julian Bream

 

With this post I'm beginning a new series here at The Villa-Lobos Magazine: Villa on Vinyl. I've been building a fairly substantial collection of Villa-Lobos LPs, almost entirely from thrift shops. I'll feature some of my favourites here. Our first LP is special for me: it's the first time I heard the music of Villa-Lobos!

Julian Bream's album Popular Classics for the Spanish Guitar was released in 1964. It includes a number of Villa-Lobos works:

• Choros #1
• Etude in E minor
• Prelude in; E minor

As well, there are works by Torroba, Turina, Albéniz, Falla, and a traditional piece arranged by Llobet.

I expect we bought this around 1965. The Villa-Lobos pieces obviously made a big impression on me, if my whole Villa-Lobos online life is anything to go by! And ever since then, Julian Bream has been one of my favourite guitarists. We'll come across more of his LPs in this series.

This album was recorded in November and December of 1962, in one of my favourite places in the whole world: the Library in Kenwood House in Hampstead, London.

Photo by Thomas Quine, 2017, Creative Commons License