When I’m learning a new piece or searching the repertoire for something new, or maybe I just can’t seem to make immediate sense of a score, I like to listen to a variety of interpretations via recordings. Over the years I’ve developed my “go to” list for recording artists, stellar players like David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Scott Tennant, Pepe Romero, and Adam Holzman. Cornering Holzman for a chat at the GFA symposium a couple of weeks ago, I finally had the chance to ask him about some those phenomenal albums. He is among the first classical guitarists to record on the Naxos label, and has recorded several series of complete works from a range of composers, including two discs of Sor, two discs of Ponce, many of Lauro’s Venezuelan Waltzes, and most recently Mertz’s Bardenklang. Not to mention that every time I see him live I love his playing too, and I’m often struck by his especially engaging approach to composers of the classical style like Carulli, Giuliani, and Sor, as he somehow transforms works I’m tired of, or unsure about, into music I adore. In this episode you’ll hear him discuss his preparations for recording, some excellent practice techniques, his current experience teaching three GFA finalists, in addition to picking some great music from his ample library of recordings for us to listen to, including pieces by Sor, Ponce, and Lauro.

Adam Holzman

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