Ponce Guitar Sonatas Maria Esther Guzmán

• Manuel Ponce (1882 - 1948): Sonata Romántica:
• 1 Ponce: Sonata Romántica: I. Allegro non troppo, semplice 07:43
• 2 Ponce: Sonata Romántica: II. Andante 06:09
• 3 Ponce: Sonata Romántica: III. Moment musical 03:33
• 4 Ponce: Sonata Romántica: IV. Allegretto non trppo e serioso 06:25
• Sonata Clasica:
• 5 Ponce: Sonata Clasica: I. Allegro 06:18
• 6 Ponce: Sonata Clasica: II. Andante 03:54
• 7 Ponce: Sonata Clasica: III. Menuet 04:10
• 8 Ponce: Sonata Clasica: IV. Allegro 03:46
• Sonata No.3:
• 9 Ponce: Sonata No.3: I. Allegro moderato 07:04
• 10 Ponce: Sonata No.3: II. Chanson 03:47
• 11 Ponce: Sonata No.3: III. Allegro non troppo 05:54
• Sonata Mexicana:
• 12 Ponce: Sonata Mexicana: I. Allegro moderato 04:19
• 13 Ponce: Sonata Mexicana: II. Andantino affettuoso 03:48
• 14 Ponce: Sonata Mexicana: III. Allegretto, quasi serenata 01:16
• 15 Ponce: Sonata Mexicana: IV. Allegretto un poco vivace 03:49
• Total Runtime 01:11:55

Info for Ponce Guitar Sonatas

Unquestionably Manuel María Ponce stands as one of the composers for the classical guitar of all time. Rare would be the virtuoso who does not acknowledge his brilliance. However, to reach such heights, history had to gift us a providential encounter with the greatest ambassador of the guitar in the 20th century: Andrés Segovia. Their profound relationship of friendship, respect, and admiration, evidenced through a fraternal correspondence and declarations, began in 1923. At that time, Ponce was a professor of Harmony at the National Conservatory of Mexico and a music critic:

“Listening to the guitar notes played by Andrés Segovia means experiencing a feeling of intimacy and homely comfort. It evokes gentle, distant emotions wrapped in the mysterious charm of bygone days. It is to open one’s spirit to reverie, to dwell in delightful moments within an atmosphere of pure art, expertly crafted by the great Spanish artist… His profound musical understanding enables him to faithfully convey the composer’s intent through his instrument, enriching the somewhat limited guitar repertoire daily… Andrés Segovia’s technique is flawless; his remarkable harmonics, blended with natural sounds, create the illusion of hearing two instruments of distinct natures simultaneously. His portamentos, used judiciously, infuse melodic phrases with poignant accents of pain, supplication, and boundless tenderness; the clarity of his scales, arpeggios, and progressions bears witness to an iron will that masters the formidable challenges posed by the guitar’s mechanism. The varied and irresistible dynamic effects not only attest to his technical prowess but also to the profound musicality and exquisite artistic temperament of Andrés Segovia…” (El Universal newspaper, 1923).

After such a review, it’s not surprising that Segovia desired to meet Ponce. Not only did he wish to meet him, but he also extended an invitation for Ponce to immerse himself in the world of the guitar. And so it was: up until then, Ponce, an experienced pianist, had already conducted the Mexico Symphony Orchestra and had composed popular-style songs, orchestral scores, piano pieces, as well as a wealth of chamber music. However, from that encounter with the legendary Spanish performer, and especially over the following ten years, a catalogue of guitar works was born, destined to become immortal. According to Segovia, “This man had received admirable gifts for music from the clear skies of Mexico; from the land, a filial love for native popular art; and from his compatriots, bitterness, envy, and disdain…”. Paul Dukas, the illustrious French musician and pedagogue, confirmed this when Ponce travelled to Paris in 1925 to receive composition lessons: “You are not a student, you are a great distinguished musician who honours me by listening to me.” Not in vain, Ponce would come to be considered the father of Mexican musical nationalism, with clear influences from European romanticism, modernism, and impressionism. These currents would also influence his work for the guitar, which he would come to consider after years of intense work, “…an exquisite instrument, containing a unique, sensitive, delicate, and mysterious world.”

The correspondence between Segovia and Ponce offers us a true showcase of mutual praise, from which we only reflect a few:

“His ease in composing was extraordinary. Segovia once told me that, on one occasion, in Paris, he wrote on a café table, half-jokingly, half-seriously, an étude in imitation of Bach. Therefore, nowadays, listening to such an improvisation, one needs an expert to recognize the authorship of the piece, whether it’s by Ponce or the great German composer”. (Federico Moreno Torroba).

“I will never be able to repay Andrés for all his delicate attentions, the generosity, the patience with which he has treated me and continues to treat me… a friend like him is truly a treasure, rarer and more precious than radium in the depths of the earth.…” (Letter from Ponce to his wife Clema Maurel, about Segovia).

“I admire him and love him deeply. I’m not sure if I love him or admire him more… In my concerts, I always include one of his pieces, as he has written very beautiful things especially for me.” (Statement by Segovia during a tour in Mexico, 1933).

After Ponce’s death on April 24, 1948, Segovia wrote a deeply affected letter to his widow, expressing his heartfelt condolences for the irreparable loss of “the ideal Friend, Teacher, and Brother”. Even though Segovia was not primarily a composer, he dedicated a “Prayer-Étude for the soul of Manuel Ponce” to him. Years later, in 1956, Mexico’s Excelsior highlighted that Ponce, influenced by Segovia, “thoroughly studied the technique and expressive possibilities of the guitar and composed for this instrument works of extraordinary value, which constitute the greatest contribution made in our time to the repertoire of this noble and traditional instrument…”. Segovia never ceased to perform works by his dear friend Manuel María Ponce, even in the last concert of his life (Miami, 1987).

Maria Esther Guzmán, classical guitar

No biography found.

Booklet for Ponce Guitar Sonatas