Pablo Sáinz-Villegas (Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco)
Pablo Sáinz-Villegas is one of classical music's leading guitarists. A successful, in-demand touring and recording artist, Sáinz-Villegas was in Chicago to make his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut in a program of Spanish and Latin American music conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero.
While in town, Sáinz-Villegas visited WFMT for a performance on Impromptu. Below, see him perform a beloved piece of music that is an institution of classical guitar repertoire: Asturias (Leyenda) by Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. It's a piece longtime WFMT listeners may recognize: hosts often share its rapturous, meditative melodies with listeners, and it long served as the de facto "go-to" piece to fill in any gaps born of technical or musical difficulties.
Here, Sáinz-Villegas' sublime playing makes the convincing argument that the piece should cast off its understudy status and take on a starring role.
