Tuesday, February 10, 1998
Classical guitarist to honor mentor Andres Segovia in
concert
MUSIC Parkening plays tribute to maestro who popularized
instrument
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
When people think of the guitar, visions of rock groups and
heavy metal bands most likely come to mind. But what many UCLA
students might not realize is that the guitar has also become a
prominent instrument on the classical concert stage.
This Sunday at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater, Grammy-award
nominated and acclaimed classical guitarist Christopher Parkening
will give a rare Los Angeles performance to pay tribute to his
mentor and arguably the most influential guitarist in the world,
Andres Segovia.
The event will begin with a CenterStage Lecture at 3 p.m. with
Dr. Matthew Elgart from Pepperdine University, followed by a
10-minute film on Segovia’s life and friendship with Parkening. The
classical guitarist will then perform some of Segovia’s favorite
works on the legendary Spanish artist’s 1967 Ramirez guitar.
Elgart thinks this tribute to Segovia is a just honor to a man
he believes brought the guitar to more influential and mainstream
success in the music world today.
"He really is the primary reason why the guitar is around,"
Elgart says. "People really didn’t take the instrument seriously
until him."
Parkening believes it is a great honor for him to pay tribute to
his musical inspiration since he was a teenager. It is ironic that
Parkening is performing his Los Angeles debut of "The Segovia
Project" at UCLA since his own debut at Royce Hall in 1963 had
drawn him to the attention of his future mentor.
"I was 14 years old," Parkening remembers. "A tape of that
performance was sent by the composer to his friend Andres Segovia
in Spain requesting a scholarship for me at Segovia’s first United
States master class at UC Berkeley. So I was the youngest of nine
performers chosen from all over the world."
Segovia’s mentoring and eventual friendship with Parkening
proved to be a very influential factor in Parkening’s blossoming
career in the classical concert guitar.
"I’ve always thought that Segovia was the greatest guitarist in
the world," Parkening says. "I learned the most from watching him
play. He told me essentially to work very hard. He taught me
discipline and a pursuit of personal excellence."
It is obvious that Parkening regards his late mentor with much
respect and admiration, calling him the greatest guitarist that
will ever live.
"There are four reasons why I think (he is)," Parkening says.
"One was his great technique, two was his musical instinct, three
was his beauty of sound and lastly, his ability to communicate all
of that to the public. He had a great charisma with his
audiences."
Parkening remembers valuable lessons that Segovia had instilled
in him about diligent practice and dedication to his art.
"Once I asked him, ‘Maestro, how many hours in the day do you
practice?’" Parkening recalls. "And he said, ‘Christopher, 2.5
hours in the morning and 2.5 hours in the afternoon.’ And I thought
to myself if Segovia needs to practice five hours a day, how much
more do I need to practice?"
Parkening’s practice-makes-perfect attitude led to great
achievements in classical guitar, including giving 75 to 90
performances a year for over a quarter of a century. He admits that
the arduous tour schedule can be hard to handle.
"It does get a little tiring," Parkening says. "The concert
season for classical artists is generally September through May and
you have a few summer concerts and festivals. At times, the
traveling part does get a little weary."
In fact, the hectic touring forced Parkening to take a four-year
sabbatical at the age of 30, which consequently led the guitarist
to find another reason to continue playing music.
"I happened to have a great love of fly-fishing, so I bought a
ranch in Montana and stopped playing the guitar for the next four
years," Parkening says. "It was during that period of time that I
became a Christian and my priorities changed. I had a new reason
for playing the guitar, so I went back."
Parkening’s return to classical guitar met equal if not greater
success with frequent tours, performances at the White House,
appearances on television specials and a prolific discography with
EMI Records. He hopes that he will continue to play the guitar for
as long as his legendary teacher did.
"Segovia played until he was 94 years old – till April of 1987,"
Parkening marvels. "I’ll be lucky to just walk across the stage at
that age. But as long as the Lord will have me play, I’ll continue
to play. It’s really a rewarding profession."
And though his mentor is now gone, Segovia’s memory serves as an
inspiration to Parkening to continue performing the classical
guitar for audiences around the world. He sees this homage as his
own way of saying thank you to his musical friend.
"This is a very special concert for me," Parkening says. "No one
had ever played the guitar in the concert halls of the world before
Andres Segovia. To be able to play this concert in memory and
tribute to him on his own concert guitar is just a privilege."
Elgart says this is a show not to be missed because it is an
honor to an influential guitar legend given by the man he
considered next in line.
"He had a very unique relationship with Segovia," Elgart says.
"Segovia spoke of him as his rightful heir and thought quite highly
of him."
MUSIC: Christopher Parkening will perform "The Segovia Project"
on Feb. 15 at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater at 4 p.m. The
performance will also feature a 10-minute film on Segovia. There
will be a CenterStage Lecture at 3 p.m. with Dr. Matthew Elgart.
Tickets are $10 with an UCLA ID. For more information call (310)
825-2101.