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by woodenhand » Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:44 am
Thanks for posting this. Listening to Parkening talk reminded me of my encounter with him. As I wrote in another thread, I was one of a few hard-core CGers who hung on backstage after a performance (this was back in the mid-1970s), and got to talk informally with Parkening. Here was one of the world's greatest virtuosi, yet there wasn't a trace of arrogance or superiority about him. He was the most down-home, easy-going person you could imagine. What further struck me was that even though we were rank amateurs (which was obvious to him), he spoke to us as equals; we were all "guitarists."
Regarding Parkening's remarks on Segovia, I have to agree with most of it. I would say it's objectively impossible to say with certainty that Segovia was the greatest classical guitarist ever, but his talent, dedication, and ambition are undeniable. Especially when it comes to Segovia's four goals, I am always amazed. Just achieving one of those goals would be a huge task for an ordinary person, yet he achieved all of them. In that sense, I've always regarded Segovia as a CG "Superman."