EDEL MUÑOZ
Guitar Virtuoso
... “In the figure of Edel Muñoz shows the quality of the new generation, he has an exceptional professionalism, in other words magisterial, it’s really surprising...”
Leo Brouwer
Edel Muñoz is an outstanding performer with a commanding stage presence that has appeared as a revelation in the guitar scene of today.
Ernesto Bitetti
"Edel Muñoz's guitar mastery elicited a standing ovation from the audience, myself included, at his Weill Hall debut recital (at Carnegie Hall) on March 15, 2012. May Edel return soon to New York and may he continue to enjoy all the success he deserves."
Michael Lorimer
“At the top level of contemporary classical music Edel Muñoz honored the Avant‐Garde with outstanding timbres and ideas.”
Diario La Nación
Buenos Aires, Argentina
"Edel Muñoz possesses that odd equilibrium between a truly astonishing instrumental understanding and the most refined musicality. His interpretations are wise, whole, vital, intelligent and fascinating. Since all his talent and energy is at art's service, his music is not only beautiful but instead somethinggreater: it's authentic. With Edel, the guitar is in good hands. His work will leave an impression, surely. You can't ask for more!"
Guillem Pérez-Quer
Profesor del Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Barcelona, Spain
The 2011 Sauble Beach Guitar Festival concluded with an extraordinary concert by Edel Munoz. Edel thrilled the audience with his amazing innate guitaristic skills, his passionate delivery and a wide ranging selection of pieces, including some folk-inspired music from his native Cuba. The prolonged standing ovation was well deserved!
Dr. Jeffrey McFadden, Classical Guitar
University of Toronto
Faculty of Music
"Edel Munoz gave an outstanding performance at Tulane University in New Orleans with a display of technique and musical finisse that captivated the audience in a crowded to capacity recital hall."
Elias Barreiro
Edel Munoz is an incredible artist possessing the highest level of musical interpretation, expression, and technique. He captivated our Portland audience and received two enthusiastic standing ovations with his exciting and varied concert program.
William Jenks
Artistic Director
Portland Classic Guitar.
On January 7, 2015, guitarist Edel Munoz played a concert at Galerie Ars in Brno, organized by the Zona Iberoamericana Association. It was a concert to remember with nostalgia. Each performer when sitting in front of a score for the first time, resembles a stone sculptor with a newly discovered emerald between his hands. Many hours, patience and profound knowledge are needed to bring out that extraordinary light inside the gem. Edel Muñoz possesses all those qualities in addition to his natural charisma.
His brilliant technique is far away from superficial and it has only one objective: to transmit to the audience the deepest beauty of each piece he interprets on stage. It was a beautiful journey through time, from works by Bach and Scarlatti to the contemporary compositions of the brilliant Leo Brower. Every note had its exact placement, respecting the style and refinements of each piece with true mastery.
Petr Vít, Aristic Director at Festivales Ibérica y Colores Flamenco.
Brno, Czech Republic.
I'll remember Master Edel Muñoz’ concert, held in the Otto de Greiff Hall in Bogota, for a long time . I was particularly impressed with his performance of two program works : Prelude - Fugue -Allegro by JS Bach , BWV 998, and Elogio de la Danza of Leo Brouwer . The contrasts in his performance of the Bach piece were very successful: the prelude was fluid , free and well phrased, and there was an exquisite balance and clarity in the various voices of the fugue.
Nothing during the whole work sounded strained . The drama of the climax was done in a completely sober, yet emotionally present, way. The final cadence of the work recalled the Allegro, where M. Edel Muñoz almost unwittingly showed his obvious technical mastery of the guitar, and achieved a perfect contrast to the density of the fugue.
In Brouwer 's work , I sensed Edel’s great sensitivity and connection to the music . During the first movement he expressed a wide range of dynamics and color, and during the second he played the Afro Cuban rhythm with great precision. The unanimous applause at the end of the recital was deserved and spontaneous . Edel : it was an unforgettable experience , I hope you continue to reap success.
Jaime Arias
Bogotá, Colombia
"Edel Muñoz gave a performance that was brilliant, flawless and very moving in his Cleveland debut on November 16, 2012. He has a rare gift for musically communicating directly and deeply with his audience, which earned him two immediate standing ovations. Edel Muñoz is a musician the world needs to hear!"
Erik Mann, Executive Director
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, Ohio
I was mesmerized by his flawless technique, energy, and elegant musicality and I could have stayed and listened all night, one of the best concerts I have ever attended in my 35 years as a guitarist.
Valerie Hartzell
Director of the Classical Minds, Houston
Classical guitarist Edel Muñoz performed at Plymouth UCC Church in Shaker Heights on Friday, November 16th as part of the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society's 2012-2013 Master's Series. He played before a crowd of what appeared to be over 100 guests, demonstrating the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society's growing reputation since beginning just a year ago to bring performers of international status to Cleveland.
A relatively young Cuban guitarist with over twenty first-place awards in international competitions (achieved in a remarkably short amount of time), Edel Muñoz is a virtuoso of the highest order. He plays with a prodigious technique that affords him complete freedom to do as he wills musically. His interpretations are fresh, engaging and beautiful. His precision is flawless. Through the entire evening not a single buzzed note could be perceived.
Muñoz opened the program with a transcription of the lovely keyboard Sonata in A Major, K. 208 of Domenico Scarlatti. Here Muñoz quickly established his sure hands, playing with a warm tone and crafting delicate and clean melodic lines. His use of ornamentation was generous. Interestingly, rather than executing trills with left hand slurs, he favored plucking trills with his right hand, a more difficult means, but one that yields a more brilliant sound, and it was effected with ease.
J.S. Bach's Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro, BWV 998, a staple of classical guitar repertoire, followed the Scarlatti. Performances of this beautiful and exciting work invite plenty of comparisons as it has been done by so many players. Nevertheless, it proved to be a crowd favorite. What was immediately striking was Muñoz's relatively fast tempo in the Fugue, which is usually conceived as a slow work. Muñoz even increased the tempo upon entering the work's extended middle arpeggio-rich section.
This was the first indication that Muñoz often plays works at faster tempos than are typically done. Why does he do this? Because he can. Muñoz has such command of the instrument that such tempos are an option for him. But these tempos never sound rushed, pushed or strained. He still maintains full control of fine tonal colors, phrasing, and dynamics, generously throwing in ornaments when appropriate to boot.
At times he is aggressive, and then at a moment's notice he shifts to a light touch, all with the effect of sounding very natural. The Allegro movement was played at a tempo that might be the fastest this reviewer ever heard for the work. Muñoz gave an exciting and masterful performance of this movement, even adding a repeat of the final phrase that put his unique stamp on the oft-played work.
Other works included on the program were Aguado's Andante et Rondo, No. 2, Brouwer's Elogio de las Danza , and two lively Cuban works, one by Eduardo Martin, the other by Nico Rojas. Muñoz's performance of the nineteenth-century guitar composer, Dionisio Aguado, further displayed
his complete mastery. Brouwer's Elogio de las Danza was given an appropriately intense and stirring interpretation. The two delightful Cuban works Mirandote and Guajira a me Madre opened the second half. The Guajiraa Mi Madre was especially spirited and fun.
As the penultimate work of the program, Muñoz performed another staple of the guitar repertoire, Joaquin Rodrigo's Invocation y Danza. Ranked as a difficult work of the guitar repertoire, once again, Muñoz played it at a faster tempo than is typically done. From start to finish, Muñoz showed his complete control, giving a stirring and authoritative performance of the highly-regarded work. His playing in the extended tremolo section was extremely free and clean.
For classical guitar geeks, it is interesting to note that Muñoz uses rest stroke very sparingly. Even fast scales were done with free stroke. In the big scale moments of the Invocation y Danza, Muñoz opted for the lighter and typically less speedy free stroke. But speed was never sacrificed, and the lighter scales brought a unique rendering of these moments. In general, one would have to strain to find any fault with Muñoz's playing, but if there is any, it is his surprising reticence to use even just a slight vibrato on the upper frets on the treble strings, just the moment when the guitar most needs the help of a subtle vibrato for good sound. That's odd because at the same point on the neck on bass strings he's very generous with vibrato. But this is nit-picking. Muñoz is a guitarist who will likely establish himself as one of the best in the world.
Muñoz closed with an exciting and spirited performance of Federico Moreno Torroba's Sonatina. As expected, his playing of the Allegretto and Allegro were faster than usually heard, but again with no sacrifice of tone or phrasing, even maintaining the different emphases of beats so important in such a rhythmic work. Appropriately, Muñoz sped up the 16th note subdivisions to achieve a truly Spanish style. The Andante was heartfelt, entrancing, and beautiful. Upon the conclusion of the Allegro the entire audience was on its feet in a matter a seconds. Then Muñoz whipped off a Piazzola encore with rhythmic panache to yet another immediate standing ovation.
"Edel Muñoz gave a performance that was brilliant, flawless and very moving in his Cleveland debut on November 16, 2012. He has a rare gift for musically communicating directly and deeply with his audience, which earned him two immediate standing ovations. Edel Muñoz is a musician the world needs to hear!"
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society:
Edel Muñoz at Plymouth Church (November 16, 2012) by James Flood
“I had the opportunity about a year ago to see the first Austin Peay State University workshop and competition up-close and personal; I was working it. During that competition I saw some excellent performances/performers, however, the player that won, Edel Muñoz, was a stand-out not only for the fact that he won but also was an excellent guitarist. Now, almost a year later I got the chance to see Edel in a concert situation. Edel appeared today the seventeenth of April at the Nashville Public Library Concert Series with a casual air about him; what followed was far from a casual experience. The first half of the program consisted of what has been Edel’s competition set, Sonata in A Major, K. 208 D. Scarlatti, Prelude Fuga and Allegro, BWV 998 J.S. Bach, Andante and Rondo No. 2, D. Aguado and finished out with Elogio de la Danza by Brouwer. After the first phrase of the Scarlatti I knew something was different and was going to continue to be different for this afternoon concert. I can only describe the Scarlatti Sonata as artistic and subtle with an extraordinary amount of elegance. The dynamic range was effective and thought out; even more powerful were the repeats. Edel took the repeats with ornaments, and they were some of the most tasteful and beautiful I have ever heard. Not only was the original melodic line intact and recognizable but even more exciting. Continuing on in the baroque fashion, the Bach PFA was just as engaging as the Scarlatti. I have personally heard this piece played more times than I care to admit to, but this time it was different. It was during this piece that I realized what I was enjoying most about the performance.
Edel had mastered his neutral sound, where everything moves from, both dynamically and in tone color. The Bach was engaging and interesting and thoroughly thought out.
Both the Aguado Rondo and Elogio de la Danza were nuanced and stylistic performances. Muñoz played with grace and refinement in the Rondo, placing cadences and allowing the listener to enjoy arrival points, while in the Brouwer he maintained the intensity, keeping the audience guessing and making the closing piece as exciting as the first piece. It was obvious that the audience wished to give him a standing ovation right then before the intermission.
The second half consisted of two Cuban pieces, Mirandote by E. Martin and Guajira a mi madre by N. Rojas. I was unfamiliar with either of these pieces but enjoyed them. Muñoz ended the second piece by looking up at the audience and saying the only word he uttered the entire concert, “Cuba”. This word actually had an immediate effect: charm. It was a very clever moment in the concert. The rest of the concert finished out with Invocacion y Danza by J. Rodrigo and Sonatina by F.M. Torroba. Suffice it to say, the second half was better than the first half. All of the details were there, phrases, subtlety, nuance intensity and every moment that needed to breathe did. Muñoz played a concert that was on the heavy side of the classical guitar rep but pulled it off with style.
The few complaints I did have, such as obnoxious tuning and some strange stage deportment were overshadowed by the artistry of the music. I tend to feel one of two ways after a concert: 1) like going home and reading a book, watching TV or playing xbox or 2) like picking up my guitar and just playing.
Edel did the latter of those two things for me. If you have the chance to see him, do so, you will not regret it.”
Seth Guillen,
On October 15th, 2011 Edel Munoz presented an outstanding concert for the South Bay Guitar Society. The audience was totally amazed by his musicianship and virtuosity. One audience member told me, "you have brought great guitarists to play for us, Edel is the best."
Jerry Snyder, President/Artistic Director
South Bay Guitar Society, San Jose, CA
"With the possibility of the second International Barcelona Guitar Contest taking place in 2005, Edel Muñoz's participation was a complete revelation, being the absolute winner, he was also awarded by vote of the audience the prize for best interpretation of Miguel Llobet's work. This notable accomplishment confirmed his extraordinary faculties to those having the opportunity of hearing him, his great understanding of the guitar, his fine musicality, together with complete knowledge of diferent styles and periods of music, have been the fundamental pillars of his ascending career, which has reached the highest pinnacle, result of his great discipline and beautiful search of the profound and intimate sound, who Edel Muñoz knows like few how to attain from our noble guitar."
Eulogio Davalos
Director certamen Miguel Llobet, Barcelona
