Written by Maestro Angelo Gilardino on the classical guitar newsgroup on  Saturday, May 22, 2004 9:18 PM

She was the greatest firstly and simply in terms of her skills with  the
instrument: she could do with fingers things that no other guitarist could
do. Her hands were phisically "different" (by nature and for having been
manipulated by her father since when she was a baby). She produced the
loudest, roundest, fullest, tone ever heard: only Lagoya - since when they
met and formed the duo - could match her, and only in certain situations.
The tones she  produced in certain recordings of the duo ("Goyescas" by
Granados, just to give an instance, but one could add many other examples)
is the best tone I ever heard from a guitarist - and I listened to all of
them who gave concerts after my birth - and she could produce a variety of
tones, with a correspondent amplitude of dynamic range, that nobody else has
matched so far.  She could play a sort of "legato" unique to her playing,
and to nobody else's playing. Her vibrato - still documented in the duo
recordings, take for example the "Adagio" by Albinoni-Giazotto - is still
above anybody else's possibilities. She was - simply - unmistakable. I never
heard a wrong note from her. Jack Duarte, who was a strict friend of hers,
can witness that in the hundred times he listened to her practicing, he
never heard one single mistake from her. Her virtuosity - a stunning one -
has been matched by several players nowadays, but at which price, in terms
of sound, expression, etc.? Consider that, after her severe training during
her childhood, she did not practice very much, her life being spent mainly
in travels and concerts..,But all of this prodigy was serving the most
important purpose: she was a marvelous musician, with a direct, immediate,
unabriged vision of the music. Her drawing rhythms, melodies, voices in
counterpoint, chords, was simply perfect. She played so well, that you
couldn't realize she played well, because you received the music in such an
accomplished way that you were allowed to forget she was playing an
instrument, and that she was skilled. Her skills disappeared with her doing
the music. Her fellows, in the heavens of 20th century interpreters, are to
be sought outside guitarists: I would say Dinu Lipatti, and only a few other
ones.

AG

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also please see quotes of Angelo Gilardino in the quotes section.

[this was sent to me through Internet - unfortunately I cannot remember the source]

Ida Presti

 BILLING
'The greatest guitarist of the 20th Century and perhaps all time' is as yet almost completely unknown. Recently discovered French archive film along with four new C.D.'s reveal the astonishing musicianship of this French-Italian woman virtuoso.

Even at the age of 13 Andres Segovia declared "I have nothing to teach her ... she should not accept the advice of any other guitarist".

This film tells her story from the poverty of her Paris childhood, to feature film appearances at the age of 12, marriage to the great French guitarist Alexandre Lagoya, success at Carnegie Hall and a sudden tragic mysterious death during an American tour in 1967.

THE FILM
Begins on that tragic night of April 27th, 1967, as an aircraft with a sick passenger makes a dramatic landing, to be met by an ambulance in a mercy dash to New York's Grand Memorial hospital. Emergency surgery fails and soon a sad throng of great musicians gather in a Paris church to pay their last homage. The music is François Poulenc's 'Sarabande To Ida Presti'.

Tributes follow from British composer John Duarte, and guitarist Julian Bream, as well as pupils from Japan, Greece, France and The United States.

We mix through to the feature film 'La Petit Chose' and see the 12 year old Ida already performing at concert standard.

Stills of Ida with Andres Segovia accompany his astonished admiring quotes.

Further archive film sets up the Paris of the 1920's and 30's a city at the centre of the artistic world - ".... born in 1924 into the Paris of Ravel, Stravinsky, Diagelev and Picasso ... Ida Presti teaches herself guitar .... First public concert at the age of 8 .... the Salle Chopin-Pleyel at the age of 10 !"

On the event of the Paganinni centenary she is invited to his birthplace to play his guitar and the guitar of Berlioz. We see the guitars and hear excerpts from the recently released C.D.'s.

We now mix to the first of the recently discovered archive and thrill to the young Ida playing a solo prelude composed in Paris at that time by the pupil of Satie and Milhaud, the Brazilian Villa Lobos.

Commentary has been provided so far by the vivacious American concert guitarist Alice Artzt, who has a fund of rich and colourful anecdote relating to their relationship - first as pupil/teacher and later as close friends. She shares with us her many personal photos, letters, private tape recordings, concert programmes and posters.

Ida's International reputation grows, but a rift has developed with (a jealous ?) Segovia how many guitar virtuosos can the concert stage support ? We hear comment from John Duarte, friend and composer to them both - Alice Artzt supplies further evidence - a conspiracy perhaps ?

Ida's husband the French virtuoso Alexandre Lagoya now tells us how they met, their early struggle for recognition and their subsequent international success as a guitar duo. We now draw on the wealth of archive again - mostly from French T.V. recordings of the 1950's and 60's - moodily lit, high contrast black and white film, but with superb stereo sound from recent C.D. sources. Gorgeous music from Albinoni, Granados, Scarlatti and Debussy (Permission has been obtained from the Dutch copyright holders).

Their many international pupils add their anecdotes and perform in the Presti Lagoya style - Ako Ito from Japan, Henri Dorigny from France, Evangelos and Liza from Athens, Alice Artzt from New York. All already tastefully filmed in the beautiful setting of a 10th Century English Priory - with candlelight and stained glass windows.

Alice Artzt finally tells her personal account of the tragic phonecall from Grand Memorial Hospital - ".......come quickly, bring money, Ida est mort ! .... Alice draws all her savings and tries to work out what is happening, .... an apparently healthy woman of 42 has suddenly and mysteriously died, .... can this be real .... had something gone drastically wrong in that emergency surgery ?"

It is 1967, the 60's musical revolution is in full swing - this is the year of 'Good Vibrations' and The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper' - the passing of an 'un-hip', 'square', classical musician, goes largely un-noticed.

The only real acknowledgement of this remarkable musician - a whole issue of the American magazine 'Guitar Review' - completely devoted to tributes and memories from fellow guitarists and composers - that is until now and the discovery of this incredible archive film and the release of these long awaited C.D.'s.

This is the long overdue tribute to one of the great women of twentieth century performance, a feast of period colour and delightful music, with the added spice of intrigue, and a truly international cast.