lbeniz’s “Sevilla” belongs, undoubtedly, to the most famous pieces in the guitar repertoire. It established itself so strongly into it that some persons still think that it was originally written for our instrument! Therefore, it was a fascinating challenge to present a new transcription of this masterpiece, as, since Tárrega and Llobet wrote their versions, almost every great player made his own arrangement of it.
The first challenge was to choose a reliable piano edition of this work. The most used ones differ dramatically from each other. Eventually, I decided that the Edition of Union Musical Española (Madrid, 1918) deserved more trust than the Friedrich Hofmeister (Leipzig, 1918). As a curiosity: among guitarists only the great Julian Bream seems to have used the latest.
 
In this transcription, you will find rhythms and harmonies which could sound unfamiliar at first listening, yet I can ensure you that it is exactly what Albéniz wrote. I decided, for instance, to hold the typical and irreplaceable accompaniment in the tenor voice of the Sevillana throughout the whole piece, even when it means a more difficult set of movements of each hand.
 
Needless to say, I find all these changes absolutely worth it in order to re-create the magic harmonic world of this wonderful and lively dance.