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Julian Bream, my fav, but one forum member recently accused him of being "sloppy".
One of my fav pieces of music "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" by Francisco Tárrega,
Yes, Classical guitar has advanced hugely since Julian Bream's day, even John Williams' precise clinical technique has been surpassed by today's very high standards.
I studied Classical Guitar as a teenager and attended Classical Music at College after I left school, I didn't really progress, but I did enjoyed myself.
But still, Julian Bream, accused of being "sloppy".
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03-02-2026 06:19 AM
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Tavi Jinariu playing "Recuerdos de la Alhambra"
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He’s probably still my favourite classical guitarist, just for the sound and the musical depth and intelligence.
I saw him 3 times and he made a few mistakes, so what!
True though that technical standards have increased, I saw Lorenzo Micheli recently and he played some pretty difficult stuff, in the whole concert I detected one tiny hesitation in a tricky phrase, and that was all.
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I enjoyed this video
I gather that there’s been a bit of a shift in the way classical guitarists approach technique in the past few decades.
Also, Bream wasn’t able to study guitar at conservatoire, so in many ways he was self taught. It was a different era. I understand that even for his time he was a quirky, unorthodox player.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkLast edited by Christian Miller; 03-02-2026 at 09:25 AM.
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Yeah he could make a few mistakes, but as Graham has said: so what? From what I've seen of Eliot Fisk he makes a few mistakes too, sometimes these things happen as a sort of corollary of the vibe the classical guitarist is going for, rather than something clinical.
That said, some guitarists are immaculate and soulful. My favourite classical guitarist is David Russell (at least for mainstream repertoire). But I love Bream.
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Let he who is without mistakes throw the first clam.
We should all be so sloppy....
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Oh what I'd give to be sloppy like that.
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Anyone who makes such a statement should be required to post their rendition of a piece that Mr. Bream played "sloppily," so we can hear them play it better than he did (you can be sure we won't).
Originally Posted by GuyBoden
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No.
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Bream was in my estimation the greatest classical guitarist of the 20th century. Was he sloppy at times? Yes he was. When he played with John Williams it was like watching Jekyll and Hyde playing. Williams had the perfect technique, but possibly as a consequence could be quite boring; Bream was on fire, moving constantly back and forth, and with a variety of distracting facial expressions. They really were so different, and both amazing to experience together.
I saw both of them play solo concerts when I was a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in the late 80’s. Williams sat there like a robot and played brilliantly. But I was bored. I never felt invited in to his inner feelings. Bream sadly was somewhat inebriated - it was I think one of his last concerts - made loads of mistakes, but I remember every minute of it, or so it seems. The guy had the best communication skills I’ve ever witnessed from a guitarist.
I’ve studied with David Russel in private lessons and a master class. He’s a superb player, and is a great teacher. I’ve heard mutch of the new generation of top players, all amazing.
But give me Bream all day long.
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Bream to me was the greatest classical guitarist who ever lived.Guys on these forums get themselves in a tizzy if someone makes a flub.I remember Joe Pass saying he didn't make an album that didn't have a mistake and he was more than ok with it.
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A mistake proves you are human. The more mistakes you make, the more human you are…
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I'm gonna steal that xD Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
A mistake proves you are human. The more mistakes you make, the more human you are…
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I always thought it was interesting that Julian Bream took a great interest in getting the best recorded sound for his records (at least from the 1970s or so), for example insisting on using the Wardour chapel in Wiltshire for its atmosphere and acoustics. The results can be heard on his wonderful Granados/Albeniz record on RCA, which has exquisite playing and sound.
Whereas John Williams seemed content to just record in whatever studio CBS put him in, and the sound on some of his records seems quite dull and dry to me (not that I have a lot of them).
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Yeah, those 70s Bream albums are delicious!
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Still not a better recording than this his original IMO, and here is a television performance with no slop. Very difficult piece
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Bravo!!
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Julian Bream (Is he Sloppy?)
Don't know, don't care. Bream was always the man, sloppy or not. Certainly better than clinical.
Actually, I doubt if he was sloppy. What he is is fluent, like liquid flowing, not a machine working. If you listen to Segovia he too could sound sloppy in the sense relaxed. It's not sloppiness born of laziness, it has its roots in maturity of expression. It's warm and expressive and it's what makes him a great player. I'm not just defending him out of prejudice, I think what I'm saying's true.
This is good. He's a great raconteur too.
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I was just looking at his big house. I don't understand houses like that. I suppose artistes must have somewhere quiet to themselves but how many rooms has it got? Who lives in them? Who keeps them clean?
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that just shows how easy it was to make a living playing guitar back then Originally Posted by ragman1
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Amazing so different Recuerdos de la Alhambra can be. I like Breams interpretation. And Segovias. They make the piece come alive in a way so you don't listen to a guitarist performing a piece but rather experience your own reflections on the piece.
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Julian Bream is idd a very good musician, so maybe this forum member is recalling a certain time snapshot?
Even the great John Williams has an online youtube recording where he plays wrong notes; so to me also a snapshot.
Ana Vidovi? is also a very good classical guitar player, but I also noticed some errors in her playing.
Classical Music (not only guitar playing) is just more prone to notice "errors", so I tend to not pay too much attention on it. Sloppy or not...
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Bream was a musician, not a guitarist.
I think he's incredible. He understood the repertoire he played. He was a well-rounded, full-musician, who played the guitar very very well.
if there is an example of him being "sloppy," fair enough. But he had such a long and wonderful career, to assign a label to him based on one or several examples would be, IMO, unfair.
Of course im sure there can be differing opinions, and that's cool. But for me, his interpretations are wonderful, his guitar sounded beautiful, and he was the real deal.
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