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MAESTRO SOLER |
He has recorded the CD Guitar Collection of Francesc de Paula Soler for Mel Bay Publications (US), and has published with Mel Bay and “Casa Beethoven Publicacions”, “Catalana d'Edicions Musicals”, “Clivis Publicacions”, “Editorial Tenora” and “Editorial Boileau” (Spain).
He has received numerous prizes and been conferred many awards, including the title of the Honorary Citizen of Dallas (1988); Medal of St. Vladimir from the Russian Orthodox Church (1988); Plaque of the Catalan Catholic Church Council (1995); Membership in the Royal Order of Christopher Columbus (1999); the Golden Key and Honorary Citizen of the city of Corpus Christi, Texas (2000); Medal and Diploma of the “US Military Academy of West Point” (2001); Honorary Membership in the “Viva la Musica Club ”, Washington State (2003); Honorary Membership in the Spain Association of the Pacific Northwest (2007) and “Tribute to Francesc de Paula Soler ” of the US House of Representatives (2001, 2002, 2004 and 2008) in recognition for his artistic merits.
The Washington Post provided the following review: “ Soler showed himself to be unusually sensitive to color and the rhapsodic rise and fall of the phrases” adding: “he played dazzling solos with his left hand on the fingerboard, unleashed a battery of right-hand percussive effects on the body of the guitar, and engaged in some creative pitch-bending on blues-tinged melodies”.
Known as "The Poet of the Guitar", Maestro Soler 's wide international activity as a performer has brought critics to hail him as one of the most notable names of the guitar world.
SOME PERCEPTIONS FROM THE CRITICS
"He is an outstanding a very skillful guitarist, dainty in the sound and, indubitably in the mechanism" (“LA VANGUARDIA”, Spain).
"His interpretations possess a great coloring which produces an extraordinary artistic feeling in the public" (“LA MAÑANA”, Spain).
"Soler's hands have given us a new way to understand the guitar" (“MENORCA”, Spain).
"The performer showed an interpretative style perfect for the program chosen, and his performance, pristine and precise, reached the level of a virtuoso" (“IL MATTINO”, Italy).
"With his exquisite musical feeling, the brigthness of his melodic sketchs, the spontaneity of his harmonic sounds, and the variety of his rhythmic resources, he totally captivated the audience" (“IL GAZZETTINO”, Italy).
"The program was completely convincing; Francesc de Paula Soler is a Master of the guitar" (“VERS L'AVENIR”, Belgium).
"His playing is filled with feeling and expression" (“EL TIEMPO LATINO”, Washington, DC).
"He is a virtuoso in the difficult skill of the string, a master of a great acoustic resources, and thus continues the great tradition of Andrés Segovia" (“LA OPINION”, Los Angeles, CA).
"His personality is an important factor in bringing his natural talent out to its absolute fullest, allowing his artistic performance to approach the pinnacle" (“GACETA IBEROAMERICANA”, Washington, DC).
“Soler showed himself to be unusually sensitive to color and the rhapsodic rise and fall of the phrases” adding: “he played dazzling solos with his left hand on the fingerboard, unleashed a battery of right-hand percussive effects on the body of the guitar, and engaged in some creative pitch-bending on blues-tinged melodies” (WASHINGTON POST, Washington, DC).
