{"id":5646,"date":"2016-12-07T11:28:59","date_gmt":"2016-12-07T19:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=5646"},"modified":"2016-12-07T11:29:40","modified_gmt":"2016-12-07T19:29:40","slug":"letter-from-japan-pablo-villegas-reports-on-his-japanese-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/letter-from-japan-pablo-villegas-reports-on-his-japanese-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter from Japan: Pablo Villegas Reports on his Japanese Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"
From the Winter 2016 issue of Classical Guitar<\/em><\/a> | BY PABLO S\u00c1INZ VILLEGAS<\/h6>\n

August 1, 2016<\/p>\n

Querido amigo,<\/em><\/p>\n

Today is the last day of my summer tour through Japan with the National Orchestra of Spain. I am thrilled to share some thoughts about these last 20 magical days and the many different emotions that have passed through me as fast as the bullet trains we took every morning to get to the next concert. It feels almost like a hazy, continuous dream, overflowing with impressions of the beautiful countryside we streaked by, the concerts we played every evening, the many fine hotels we stayed at, and the thousands of people in every hall we were able to touch through the music of our Spanish culture\u2014so much linked in the public mind to the beloved Spanish guitar.<\/p>\n

The tour was a celebration of my latest CD with the National Orchestra of Spain and admired maestro Juanjo Mena\u2014Conciertos de Joaqu\u00edn Rodrigo<\/em>, featuring the three solo guitar concerti by Rodrigo\u2014and also part of the worldwide celebration of last year\u2019s 75th anniversary of Rodrigo\u2019s treasured Concierto de Aranjuez<\/em>, which premiered in Barcelona in 1940.<\/p>\n

After a very long, but excitement- and anticipation-filled flight, our tour launched with the first concert in the city of Morioka, far to the north of Tokyo on the main island (Honshu), and from there our grand group of 82 musicians (plus their instruments!) traveled all around the country to the cities of Aomori, Tokyo, Niigata, Utsonomiya, Kyoto, Kagoshima (near the tip of the southernmost Kyushu island), and finally to Yamaguchi to end the tour on July 31.<\/p>\n

\"Pablo<\/p>\n

Since I usually travel as a soloist who often plays with local orchestras in the cities I visit, the energy of traveling with such a large group throughout a country was unique and incredibly fun. But these were (or mainly) Spaniards, too, all of us in a new land, and mostly around the same age, so making new friends was easy, and the friendships that were already there deepened. They are a formidable group of people who truly love what they do.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t always easy getting about in such a large group. One of my favorite (though scary) moments was when we all had to run quite fast at a train station to catch the next bullet train, or we would miss that night\u2019s concert. I wish I had caught that on video! I am sure we left a mark on all the restaurants we dined in around the halls, since considering the time restraints we faced in our day\u2019s itinerary, we would all have dinner at the same time, so we\u2019d overflow all the small local joints close by. Large groups of us would also go out after most concerts to visit karaoke bars, where we would unwind with some sake and sing together\u2014often comically, as many of us musicians are not well-suited for singing.<\/p>\n

The tour program was all Spanish music, designed to give a palpable taste of our homeland to Japanese audiences. We opened with lively music by Joaqu\u00edn Turina, followed by the Aranjuez<\/em> concerto, and then wrapped up the evening with the spirited music of our great composer Manuel de Falla. By this point, I have played the Aranjuez<\/em> close to 200 times all around the world. It\u2019s a piece that has become part of me, and as I close my eyes on stage, as I always do when playing, I can perfectly visualize the piece in its entirety in a three-dimensional perspective I\u2019ve created, as if it were a sculpture, and I intricately know every single inch of it. Even so, I am amazed at how different the piece still feels every time I play it. Somehow, when I\u2019m playing it, I am able to detach my mind from the music enough that I can really enjoy the small, infinite variables around me\u2014the different orchestras, conductors and halls, and, of course, the audiences. It\u2019s a feeling unlike any other I experience in playing music, so I\u2019m always eager to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

Pablo Villegas Talks About his New CD and the Challenges of Playing Concertos<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n