José Rey de la Torre
| José Rey de la Torre | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 9, 1917 Gibara, Cuba |
| Died | July 21, 1994 (aged 76) San José, California |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Instruments | Classical Guitar |
| Labels | SMC, Allegro, Philharmonia, Elektra, Nonesuch, CRI, Epic |
José Rey de la Torre (December 9, 1917 – July 21, 1994), known by his stage name Rey de la Torre, was one of the most significant classical guitarists of the mid-twentieth century, and considered by many to be the father of "modern classical guitar technique".
Rey studied with Severino López in Havana, Cuba. After establishing a career as a child prodigy in Cuba, his family sent him to Barcelona in 1932 to study under the retired virtuoso guitarist Miguel Llobet (1878–1938).
On May 9, 1934 Llobet presented him in a concert at the Academia Marshall together with a pianist and then shortly after in a solo recital. Both received rave reviews from the tough Barcelona critics. Catalan composer and critic Jaime Pahissa described Rey as the most complete guitarist he had heard. Another critic compared him not only with Llobet but also with Pablo Casals.
His American début was at The Town Hall in New York City in 1940. He subsequently made many appearances in the USA, Canada and elsewhere. He gave radio broadcasts and played in two television plays. Rey de la Torre gave the US première of Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo on November 19, 1959, with the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Robert Shaw. He also premièred the Introduction to the Chôros by Heitor Villa-Lobos in New York, in August 1962, and Three Pieces for Guitar by Carlos Chávez in New York on November 14, 1969. A number of works were written for him by various composers, among them Julián Orbón.
Rey made a number of recordings, the earliest of which he found unsatisfactory. In the mid 1940s he recorded his first two LP albums for the Spanish Music Center (SMC) label. The first was titled The Music of Francisco Tárrega - A Guitar Recital, vol. 1 SMC-516 and the second was The Music of Fernando Sor - A Guitar Recital, vol. 2 SMC-517. While it is believed that Andrés Segovia may have been the first to record the F. Sor studies, it was Rey's recordings of these important studies that first made it to vinyl. In the early part of 1950, Rey recorded another two LP albums for the Allegro label. The first was titled Fernando Sor - Grand Sonata, Op.22 AL 76 and the second was German Song from the Minnesingers to the 17th Century AL 90. The later released was a collaborative effort with tenor Earl Rogers. The former album dedicated to Sor was later re-released by Allegro under a different title Rey de la Torre Plays Fernando Sor LEG 9013. The recording was later licensed to other minor record labels (such as Ember, Everest and EL) and it was generally released under the title Rey de la Torre Plays Spanish Guitar Classics.
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