Balletto by Ponce

This is one of my favourite pieces from Ponce. I’ve wanted to record it for the longest time. It is a technically challenging piece with lots of movement and precision work. When approaching this, I try to play it gracefully, with a soft but lyrical touch. It is a beautiful tapestry of musical intricacy.

Here it is:
[audio:http://www.dedrickkoh.com/Music/Baletto.mp3|titles=Balletto]

Performer: Dedrick Koh
Guitar: 2006 Wataru Tsuji Grand Suprema
Recorder: Rode NT4/ Tascam US 144 Mk II
Year of recording: 2012
Composer: Manuel Maria Ponce

Author: Dedrick Koh

Dedrick Koh is an acclaimed , fully-booked classical guitar teacher who teaches from his home studio at Sengkang. He has been teaching the classical guitar since 2006 and has successfully prepared students for ABRSM and Trinity exams and he holds a flawless 100% pass rate, and a 90% merit/distinction rate for his students. He was previously an instructor cum assistant conductor at Ngee Ann Polytechnic Strings under Alex Abisheganaden . Dedrick Koh is also a former public relations and communications specialist, having carved out a notable 10-year career in both the public and private sector. He has work for/on brands like Nanyang Polytechnic, Coca Cola, DHL, Nokia, Nestle, the Health Promotion Board, the Economic Development Board of Singapore and the President Challenge. He also also been featured in the Straits Time, the New Paper, and CNN.

2 Replies to “Balletto by Ponce”

  1. I love this piece too!
    Great job in recording the piece!

    But I think if you could smoothen out the timing for the slurs, it would sound better.
    I feel the some of the slurs cut short the timing that changed the rhythm too much.

    Also work on getting that Segovia vibrato in this piece.
    To me this is what brings out the essense of the piece 🙂

    1. Hi Sen, thanks for listening I’m glad you liked it. I do realize I exercise a bit of rubato when interpreting this piece and I get your point about the slurs.It’s hard not to get carried away by such a lovely piece.As for the vibrato, I always found Segovia’s interpretation a little too liquid for my tastes but I understand the appeal.

      Thanks for listening and commenting though!:-)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *