Question: Who do you think is the most overrated and the most underrated composer for the classical guitar?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: It’s difficult to choose because every composer may have some very good composition and may be others very bads. I don’t like that a piece is necessarily good because it’s by this one or this other composer. It’s better to think if one piece is good or not.

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Question: Which „Slogan“ would you use in advertising for the classical guitar?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: “Don’t make war . . . play guitar . . .”

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Question: With which prejudices – that are connected with the classical guitar – would you like to get rid of?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: Generally, a guitarists needs more curiosity about repertory. Still exist a lot of composers and compositions to be discovered. I recorded five CD with unknown programs. I played in one festival in Spain and heard three time’s “variations of Mozart” by Sor, It’s really uninteresting this kind of program now. I am interested when I hear unknown pieces.

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Question: Which attributes do you find typical for classical guitarists?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: A shirt with long right leave and short left one.

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Question: What things in your life do you definitely want to learn and what do you regret not having done?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: Jazz and improvisation, and a lot of others musical forms and styles.

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Question: What dreams do you have that you would like to fulfil?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: I know that it’s crazy, but my dream is to full a football stadium with thousands persons, play a concert with a so enthusiast public as in a football match.

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Question: What is embarrassing for you?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: Mental political or religious manipulation’s of people.

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Question: What short phrase would you use to discribe your lifes philosophy?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: I see the glass always half full instead half empty.
Bad things comes alone, I found always the goods one.

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Question: Which abuse in your native country would you like to do away with?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: The general incoherence of people. For example they buy tobacco when they know and it’s written on the box that it’s poison.

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Question: In relation to world history, which personalities fascinate you the most?

Juan Francisco Ortiz: Don Quixote de la Mancha.

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Question: Which question would you like to be asked and what is your answer to this question?


Juan Francisco Ortiz: Why did you choose guitar as instrument?
I think that guitar choose me, because there where not any musician in my family. My father fighted in wars in Spain and in France. He was prisoner in Mauthausen and exiled 18 years from Spain. In 1961 he sanded me to know our town and our family. This year I known my wife and bought a guitar. I was thirteen years…I began to studied flamenco and one year after they gave me a record by Andres Segovia. It was a revelation… I began to studied classical and get the best teachers as Segovia and Presti and Lagoya. This year I can have my 60 anniversary and play guitar for 46 years, the time run too fast but it was 46 years of pleasure and I hope to delight playing many years more.

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Question: Which guitar virtuoso today has the makings to follow in the footsteps of Andres Segovia?


Juan Francisco Ortiz: There is a lot of guitarist to day able to follow Andres Segovia footsteps. I trip in many country and festival and hear a lot of young guitarist’s very goods, but many of them have a new conception of the instrument: many notes and few vibrations… But at last it’s the result of the Maestro’s work .

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