I've written about my second alma mater- Barcelona, Spain- in the past, mentioning my principal guitar teachers, Eduardo Sainz de la Maza and Maria Luisa Anido and my master class experience with Emilio Pujol. I'm not going to revisit those figures in this article; instead, I'll share other facets of the city, musical and non-musical. "Why now?" you might ask. Sometimes in spring, the quality of light here in the Midwest reminds me of the famed Mediterranean luminescence and whisks me back in time to a land literally and figuratively inhabited by giants.

In ten years of life in Spain, I never owned a car, yet I taught English and guitar lessons and rehearsed various incarnations of my trio or quartet Icarus (guitar, flute, cello, voice) all over the city, only rarely resorting to using a taxi. I carried a detailed Guia de Barcelona (Barcelona City Guide) and a bus/metro map in by shoulder bag along with whatever book or music I was reading. In the process, I got to know the city very well and became acquainted with the complete works of several authors.

On one visit to my cellist's home on the historic Plaza Diamante, I saw a man on stilts taking giant steps across the brick surface of this popular square. I noticed his clothes were proportionate to his stilt-man height with very long sleeves and pant legs. I had no more than raised my camera to take his picture but he was upon me, good-naturedly striking me with a flour-filled white glove. Boff! Where else in the world could you boast being struck by a giant?

Other types of giants walk the streets of Barcelona during religious festivals and saints days like those of Jorge, Jaime, and Juan. These were the cabezudos (big heads) as my late wife would have called them. They might represent the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella or an unpopular politician who would ultimately be burned in effigy. Still, with gigantes walking about, what a great place to be a kid!

Real giants in the musical sense have been known to reside in Barcelona. The city has is a guitar club or circle called the Peña guitarrística Tárrega under whose auspices I heard a multitude of guitar recitals, for example- Jorge Cardoso, David Russell and Carles Trepat, all rising stars on the classic guitar scene at the time. Juan Ruano may still be the de facto president of the club. Any guitarist planning on an extended stay in Barcelona during the concert season should get in touch with the Peña Tárrega.

Two friends and associates of mine, man and wife 25 years ago but long into new relationships, own their own respective guitar shops:

Alicia Sanchez at
CASA LUTHIER
C/ BALMES 73
08007 BARCELONA ESPAÑA
Tel: +34 934 54 15 78

Alicia has mounted a highly respected music school and has regularly featured David Russell in master classes there. The apartment building where Francisco Tárrega lived is not far from Casa Luthier and marked by a plaque on the exterior wall.

Fernando Alonso at
Casa Sors
Madrazo 52
08006 Barcelona, Spain
Tel: +34 932 009 797

Both Alicia and Fernando are very good guitarists and Fernando is an excellent singer in the Argentine tango style. Both are capable of sponsoring guitar concerts, but with her music school Alicia is especially adept as a businesswoman and concert impresario. Even in the early 80s when I was still a resident of La Ciudad Condal (Barcelona), Alicia would stage major soirées in the main room of the large apartment that served as her music school. These gatherings featured past and future stars of the concert stage.

You should not miss seeing the Palau de la Música concert hall in Barcelona http://home.palaumusica.org/. Witness any concert that you can just to see the interior, or you can take a guided tour most mornings. The concave stage at the Palau is adorned with busty ladies playing instruments- sculpted from the waist up and mosaic from the waist down- the perfect accompanists for any performance!

I once saw Narciso Yepes perform Rodrigo's Concierto por un gentilhombre there with the Barcelona Philharmonic. During the gorgeous third movement of the work, I remember a chain-reaction wave of irate whispering generated by a young woman saying in a low, barely restrained voice, "Que preciosidad!" How precious! Unbeknownst to me at the time, the Yepes performance commemorated the premiere of the work in the same space fifty years earlier, given by Regino Sainz de la Maza, my teacher's illustrious brother.

Then there is the Museo de la Música:
http://www.museumusica.bcn.es/home.htm
C/ Padilla, 155
08013 Barcelona
Tel. 93 256 36 50
Fax 93 265 01 02
museumusica@bcn.cat

The museum has a new building housing scores of instruments in all families, including the famous Torres guitar with a normal top and neck but back and sides made of cardboard; this instrument was built to illustrate that the soundboard was the most important element in producing the timbre and volume of the classic guitar.

Non-musical points of interest in Barcelona include the Museo Maritimo near the port on Las Ramblas, The Picasso Museum near Galeria Maeght where I actually stood elbow to shoulder with Joan Miró, The Miró Museum, The City Historical Museum (largely underground, enter from the fabulous Plaza del Rey behind the cathedral) and all of the architectural wonders of Antonio Gaudi including La Sagrada Familia, and Casa Milà http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Casa_Mila.html also called "La Pedrera" - The Quarry with its marvelous helmet-like chimney tops; then there is nearby Casa Batlio and, high in the city- Parc Güell, an architectural fairyland. I could go on but I've already mentioned enough tourist sites for one visit.

If you are a guitarist about to experience your first trip to Europe, be sure to include Barcelona on your essential, must-see list.

Stephen Rekas
Guitar Sessions Editor

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