Jose Antonio Escobar: Reviews

José Antonio Escobar
Purcell Room, London
12 April 2007

The Chilean guitarist José Antonio Escobar dedicated this London recital to the works of Villa-Lobos in celebration of the 120th anniversary of his birth. The one exception to the programme was the premiére of a work by the young Chilean composer Christian Vásquez (b. 1969) called Alucinación; the work is dedicated to José Antonio Escobar. This piece really explored the non-note timbres that the guitar could produce in a very creative way and Christian Vásquez developed quite a range of them, teasing the audience with the occasional real note on the instrument, which we soaked up like thirsty listeners. Surprisingly, for a composer who managed to create such a broad palette of sounds on the guitar, he himself is a flautist. Part of that sounscape was the fluttering of the Queltehues, a Chilean bird. The pieces was well-structured and full of atmosphere; it was an experience to listen to and one could not help but listen – liking it, of course, was a different part of the equation.

It was a pleasure to hear the Villa-Lobos Five Preludes and Twelve Studies complete. For the Studies, Escobar has looked at the manuscripts of Villa-Lobos, so there were variations from the Segovia edition, but nothing that grated on the ear. More significant, however, was the fact that José Antonio Escobar managed to add interpretational touches that were quite personal and distinctively his own yet did not detract from the composer’s ideas. This is indeed the great challenge and on his part, it was a great achievement, in the performance of the very well known repertoire. Escobar’s performance was very measured and musical in Study No. 8 and Study N.9 the melodic line was carried beautifully, particularly during the fast arpeggios passages. His technical abilities were really on show in Study No. 7 which he played at an exhilarating pace.

The concert was organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Association (LACCS), directed by Juan R. Monroy, in colaboration with the Chilean Embassy.

José Antonio Escobar on the South Bank

Amongst the many musical anniversaries to be commemorated in 2007 is the 120th of the birth of Heitor Villa-Lobos, who died 48 years ago. It was a welcome experience to be reminded of Villa-Lobos’qualities at LACCS concert at the Purcell Room on 12 April given by the Chilean guitarist José Antonio Escobar, who began with a very fine account of the Five Preludes, each being beautifully characterised. They were followed by the World Premiere of a new work, Alucinación, by the 42-year-old Chilean composer Christian Vásquez. This sonata-type piece was remarkable for the variety of new sounds and manner of playing the instrument that the composer extracted from the guitar. Although he appeared to rely too much on texture at the expense of developmental thought. None the less, this was clearly a committed and impressive performance.

Fynally, José Antonio Escobar gave us Villa-Lobos’ 12 Studies, in the original 1928 version, demonstrating that he is one of the finest young players to have emerged from South America in recent years, fully worthy of the wholehearted support the Chilean Embassy in London gave him on apperance.

Musical Opinion, Issue number 1458

JOSE ANTONIO ESCOBAR Chilean Embassy, London
13 March 2006
Much has changed in Chile in recent years and one of the great musical changes is the number of excellent young guitarists that Chile is now producing. Jose Antonio Escobar is becoming better known throughout the world because he has braved the international competition platform and done very well. He has won first prizes in many international competitions, such as the Francisco Tarrega Competition in Spain, the Stotsenberg Competition in the USA, the Villa-Lobos Competition in Brazil and the Alirio Diaz Competition in Venezuela, among others.

On this first concert visit to London he focused on contemporary Chilean repertoire with its inspiration rooted in pieces by some of Chile's significant folk musicians such as Violeta Parra and Victor Jara, both part of the Latin American musical movement called `Nueva Canción' (New Song). Violeta Parra (1917-1967) was a singer-songwriter during a difficult time in Latin America's political history and like Victor Jara she delivered her protests through her songs. But something very distinctive about Violeta Parra was her personally idiosyncratic style of playing. The 5 Anticuecas by Violeta Parra which Jose Antonio Escobar played were a great reminder of this. Her music was very much part of people's lives, so young composers such as Juan Antonio Sanchez (b.1965) have drawn her work. His Sonata Homenaje a Violeta Parra was written for Jose Antonio Escobar and was given its premiere performance on this evening. It is a substantial work in four movements, Misterioso, Dulce, Rapido subito and finale, but is not in strict sonata form; the second movement is a development of a phrase from one of Parra's anticuecas but the work as a whole links in with ideas in contemporary composition. José Antonio Escobar also played Juan Antonio Sanchez's arrangement for solo guitar of La Partida by Victor Jara.

Horacio Salinas (b.1951) is perhaps better known to us for being a member of the group Inti Illimani. His Suite del Tiempo Ausente (1987) was dedicated to John Williams; Escobar played the delicate Cristalino movement from that suite. Three other beautiful works on the programme were the Tonadas by Javier Contreras (b.1983): Tonada a mi Madre, Tonada Nocturna and Tonada del Regreso. They were very well written, with poetic melodic lines that stayed with you after the end of the concert, as did Juan Antonio Sanchez's Tonada por Despedida, which expressed a deep sadness. It is usually a taxing thing to play a full programme of recently written works but Jose Antonio Escobar is a player with a strong technique and excellent musical taste, so it was a pleasure to listen to. Hopefully these works will be published so that many more players can enjoy them.

A Master of Soft Notes
Masters Class Concert by Guitarist José Antonio Escobar.
José Antonio Escobar, the 30-year-old Chilean guitar virtuoso, bade farewell to his teacher, Franz Halasz, from the Masters Class Podium of the Augsburger Musikhochschule.
Escobar studied in the Masters Class for two years and was also employed as an assistant to his instructor, Prof. Franz Halasz. In March he will become a professor at the Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia. During the first half of his program, with works by Isaac Albéniz and Antonio José, the winner of numerous international competitions proved that he is among the most talented classical guitarists of his generation.
His performance demonstrated concentration and technical mastery from the very first note. Thus, his interpretation of the finale from Antonio José’s Sonata completely and fully realized the “Allegro con brio”. Still, the simplicity and intellectualism of his virtuosity ensured that Escobar’s playing was anything but cliché, even for Spanish classics like Albéniz’s “Sevilla”. But above all the Chilean proved to be a master of soft notes. His musical sensitivity and the utterly contemplative quality of his playing converged in the more tranquil movements such as Albéniz’s “Mallorca” and José Antonio’s “Pavana Triste”.
Cuban Bells
Compositions by Leo Brouwer (1939 - ), the Cuban guitar virtuoso, dominated the second half of the concert. Brouwer’s classic modern musical painting in “Paisaje cubano con Campanas” seems perfectly suited to Escobar. With his perfect dynamics, the guitarist conjured in the inner eye of the listener the picture of a lifeless Cuban landscape shimmering in the noonday heat, with the sound of a village bell floating above it. The next piece led the artist to his native soil. Escobar interpreted three pieces by his countryman Juan Sánchez, and thrilled the audience with spirited and melancholy music from Chile.
Beethoven and Bolero
The concert ended with Brouwer’s Sonata. Traditional forms like the fandango, bolero, and saraband were filled with new sounds, as well as familiar sounds like those from Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony. Escobar’s intellectual and musical penetration of the challenging piece was captivating, exciting curiosity about Leo Brouwer, the composer, who is largely unknown to the average audience member in Germany. The soloist took his leave amidst deserved and enthusiastic applause.
One consolation for guitar enthusiasts in Germany: Escobar has already recorded a number of CDs for the Naxos label.
(Augsburger Allgemeine, Thursday)

"Secure, inspired, with a good sound, he knew how to interpret the Aranjuez, communicating with confidence to the orchestra, with no fear and, most importantly, knowing how to maintain with it a smooth dialogue."
(Levante, Spain)

"... from the very beginning he was in command of the situation. He was a winner from the moment he uncovered the guitar...".
"Inspired, temperamental, with a powerful, wide sound (almost pianistic), he ruled over the orchestra imposing tempos and character to the speech. His version of the Concierto del Sur was great."
"... in Tárrega's works, he showed the caliber of his musicality... he had moments of a really magic communication. These conditions predominate over a good performance, and define a remarkable and imaginative artist, more than simply a good player."
(Ritmo magazine, Spain)

"Escobar knows how to transmit to the public the emotion given by his guitar."
"... the sound, the quality of the guitar and his capacity to transmit emotions, all point to him as one of the favorites."
(El Periódico Mediterráneo, Benicásim - Spain)