Spain's Tin Pan Alley - Centro, Madrid
The luthiers of Madrid have been making classical and flamenco guitars for a century and a half. Guy Hedgecoe visits some of the old shops and workshops to listen and learn.
Guitarras Ram铆rez was founded by Jos茅 I. Ram铆rez, in 1882 and the company still makes guitars by hand in Madrid. Francisco T谩rrega, Paco de Luc铆a, George Harrison, and Mark Knopfler have all played Ram铆rez guitars. One day a young guitarist walked into Jos茅's brother Manuel's shop and asked to borrow a guitar. Manuel listened to him play a basic guitar, but after hearing a few notes, insisted he play his finest instrument. The guitarist was Andr茅s Segovia, and he played that guitar from 1912 to 1937. It's now in New York鈥檚 Metropolitan Museum of Art.
But Guitarras Ram铆rez is just one of Madrid's instrument makers: there's Guitarra de Luthier, La Guitarreria Madrid, and Manuel Contreras. The journalist Guy Hedgecoe, who covers Spain for the 大象传媒, visits some of these long-established shops and workshops to listen to their instruments and talk to the makers and players. He explores the state of the craft of making, the art of playing and the place of the classical guitar and flamenco music in Spain today.
Presenter: Guy Hedgecoe
Producer: Julian May
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- Next Thursday 21:45大象传媒 Radio 3
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