| DVD Program Sonata in B Minor, Op. 31, No. 6 Wenzeslaus Matiegka Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998 Johann Sebastian Bach, Arr. by D. Leisner The Chrysanthemum Scott Joplin, Arr. by D. Leisner Maple Leaf Rag Scott Joplin, Arr. by D, Leisner Nel Mezzo: Sonata David Leisner Sehnsucht, Op. 13, Vol. 10, No. 3 Johann Kaspar Mertz Tarantelle, Op. 13, Vol. 6, No. 1 Johann Kaspar Mertz Encore: Etude No. 12 in A Minor H. Villa-Lobos |
| Classics and Discoveries Internationally renowned classical guitarist David Leisner plays a live concert program with some pieces that are well-known and others that may be new to guitarists. Leisner introduces each piece informally and is interviewed during intermission by Andrew Dickenson. The interview covers a number of topics in depth, including some of Leisner’s secrets about easing physical tensions while playing the guitar, and his thoughts about the music he’s playing and about composition. "My first thought on viewing Classics & Discoveries was that I would watch it once or twice more. I'm already up to five viewings, for there is something magical about watching a master guitarist performing these works." Jim Tosone, Guitar Review "The American guitar maestro David Leisner is on fine form with this programme recorded in New York City in mid-2007. The attention is caught from the start with a superb performance of a three-movement Sonata in b minor by Wenzeslaus Matiegka, who Leisner prophesises will someday be regarded as one of the most important guitar-composers of the 19th century. This is followed by a fine rendering of J. S. Bach's Prelude, Fugue and Allegro with the player showing a sensitivity of phrasing in the Prelude and Fugue, and with a particularly notable rendition of the final movement complete wi{h some nice ornamentation, which, at the chosen tempo, is no mean feat. The first part of this DVD concludes with two pieces arranged from the piano by Leisner of Scott Joplin's The Chrysanthemum and Maple Leaf Rag. I am not a big fan of Joplin's music performed on the guitar, much preferring to hear it in its original state, but do concede that these arrangements are clever and to some extent, work well. In the mid-session break David Leisner gives a 3O-minute interview where he talks freely and frankly about all manner of topics including posture and technical control; the way he coped (and cured himself after 12 years) with focal dystonia (a condition where his fingers uncontrollably curled into the palm of his hands); his repertoire and in particular Wenzeslaus Matiegka; arranging and transcribing; and his approach to composing. In a surprisingly honest introduction, David Leisner confesses to having a mid-life crisis in 1998, one of the results of which brought forth the first piece after the break, an original composition by him in the style of a Sonata titled Nel Mezzo which, translated from the Italian, means 'In the Middle'. It begins with 'Urto', a word which apparently can mean many things including 'bump', 'shock' or 'attack'; this is followed by a poignant 'Lamento' which takes on further connotations after hearing the composer's introduction. The final, third movement is sub-titled ‘No!' and takes the form of a Toccata in a Rondo form, the dominant factor being violent aggression broken up on several occasions by passages of a calmer quality. Nel Mezzo, for this reviewer anyway, is one of the highlights of this recording; it not only illustrates Leisner's high technical abilities but shows him to be a composer of high order. Next comes two beautifully executed pieces by the l9th-century Hungarian guitarist Johann Kaspar MerIz, both taken from his Opus 13, the first, a nostalgic, sad work titled Sehnsucht and the second the lively and frenetic Tarantelle which Leisner manages to build up to a exquisitely frenzied conclusion. Although this recording is not in front of an audience, the last track is presented as an 'encore' item and is the final, I2th Etude from the dozen which Villa-Lobos composed for the instrument. David Leisner has, what is called commonly, a way with him; his introductions, and especially the mid-way interview, shows him out to be an interesting and informative conversationalist and his performances throughout this entire programme are of high standard, both from a technical and musicianship viewpoint." Steve Marsh, Classical Guitar magazine Website content © David Leisner 2010. All rights reserved. Photo by Mark Higashino |
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