My take on the La Catedral by Barrios. Photo taken by Germer Team.
I performed this magnificent piece by Agustin Barrios somewhere in early 2018. The piece, La Catedral, depicts Barrios' feelings and experiences when he visited the Cathedral of San Jose in Montevideo, Uruguay. The work later became one of the most known and played pieces in the classical guitar repertoire.
The piece consists of three movements. It is rather special that the first movement, Preludio Saudade, was written quite long after the second and third movements (after 18 years to be precise). Though many do not consider its (Preludio Saudade) place in the piece, I certainly believe it fits perfectly!
The work can be comparable to those by J. S. Bach. Starting with the Preludio Saudade, the structure and form (using imitation), are similar to the preludes by Bach. We can think the prelude as a promenade, when he walked closer to the church, hearing the bells and finally into the main hall. Comes the second movement, Andante Religioso. Barrios used various block chords in the lower register to mimic the sound of the church organ, and at the end, we hear the bells again, signify the end of a ritual. Lastly, a fast movement called Allegro Solemne ends the piece in a emotional and dramatic, however not overly-sentimental and poignant, way. We can relate the last movement here similar to those last movements of the violin sonatas: fast, agitated, nimble, while maintaining its sacredness.
Barrios and Segovia by Classical Guitar Magazine.
Ciaconna by J. S. Bach, at the same recital.