Dale Needles That was fun, Dale. Is it based on a folk song?

So you have made it to Spain. I hope you both are enjoying much saner conditions than what we have here. No need to hurry back as Trump has now deployed ICE to the airports. 

Jack Stewart This study is based on a traditional folk rhythm which Carlevaro used in many of his later pieces as well. The trip has been fantastic to say the least, and yes it will be difficult to return to the US but fortunately we still have more than four weeks to go. 

Blaise Laflamme Thanks, Blaise. The trip had been fantastic as I mentioned to Jack. As for this little milonga study, there are quite a few of these little unpublished gems tucked away in the Carlevaro online library.  

Jack Stewart Those Gilardino Studies are really nice and interesting. I am enjoying listening to them and thanks for sharing.  

Ariel Elijovich Well done, just love the harmony and rhythm in this little ditty.  As Eric said, I've heard it played more open and legato and liked it a lot. In fact, I play it more open and legato. But hey, this is not academia, so play it as you feel it. There is not much to go by on the page, and Sor probably jotted this down while playing around. Nicely done. 

Eric Phillips Hi, Eric and thanks so much for taking the time to listen and comment! I understand what you say and it's very difficult for me to really enjoy that (plain) way. I understand this is MY problem, not yours, but let me explain where it comes from. It's a two way problem.

The first is that I have been raised by a pianist and a violin player both of whom excell at Classical period interpretation. If you are curious, this is my mother playing Mozart (in the video): https://youtu.be/vh7idd-GEYc?si=1eQ5snGYZ943hiTS&t=104 .

So, I have a very set idea of how the Classical period should sound. Of course, Mozart, Haydn, Sor, Giuliani will have their different instrumental and personal approaches but the period aesthetics is centered around the roundness of tone and articulation and, a bit later on, accentuation and sudden dinamycal changes. So, when I listen to Patrik's version of op. 44 n°1 I cannot, for the life of me, enjoy it. It sounds monotonous and chaotic with resonances, to me. It's a problem.  

The second is that from very young I have played chamber music with violin and cello and string quartets and so I became very used to needing to phrase as the other instruments do in order to render the chamber dimension round. I never saw any reason to playing the same phrases or melodies with no, or other, articulation just because it's a different instrument. It's something that happends thru all the different instruments... to mantain each its own characteristics while being able to phrase the same as the others or as alike as possible.

And I never understood why if the violin has more or less 9 or 10 different basic bow strikes we had to settle with tirando and apoyando and sometimes not even both of them together (for a long long time it was ither or). 

I understand this is like a "personal crusade" that nobody else has the need to follow but as a teacher I try to do for my students what my parents did for me. And when there is a chance to share a point of view I try to show what else is possible. I am quite sure there are not many versions around of op.44 n°1 with an interpretation in this direction. I'd love to listen a lot more. And it makes me really really happy if this very fast and hasty rendition inspires you to look more into this kind of interpretation. 

I sort of envy that you can enjoy both ways and I do understand and respect fully your right to do so, but (from spanish it translates directly) "if I can bring the water from the watermill to my fountain"...  :-) 

Looking forward to reading you all! Thanks to Michael Shirk too for your comment!!

Ariel Elijovich It's very interesting to learn in such personal detail how (and why) you approach music the way you do, Ariel! Like both Eric and Michael, I thoroughly enjoy your interpretation of Sor, but like them I also enjoy a simple approach, such as that of Patrik Kleemola. It occurs to me that another factor may be at play here. Eric, Michael and I have all (as far as I know) been raised in an Anglo-American culture. (I am talking about the broader culture, not that of the particular families we grew up in.) You I presume were born into a Latin culture. It seems likely to me that our individual aesthetic sensibilities have been conditioned by the cultural environment to which we have been exposed. Here in English North America, the predominant aesthetic is one of leanness and simplicity. You find it everywhere: in our food, in our dress, in our art and architecture, in our literature and, of course in our music. The Latin aesthetic, as I understand it, is far less reserved: it is expansive, emotive, perhaps even (at times) explosive. As an observer, I can appreciate it, I can admire it - but I could never properly participate in it. I would be an impostor. It is somehow foreign to my character. I'm making  certain generalizations here, of course, and within both cultures there is, to be sure, considerable diversity. But my main point, I think, stands: despite our common humanity, we are, each of us, shaped by circumstances we scarcely even notice.

Ariel Elijovich And I should add also that your mother is a wonderful pianist! (Thanks for sharing the link.) You were privileged indeed to grow up in such a family!