Eduardo Fernández

Eduardo Fernández has maintained a long-standing presence in Decca’s guitar catalog, where he ranks among South America’s foremost virtuosos of the instrument. He has also distinguished himself as a teacher and the creator of a guitar method that has circulated widely across borders.

Born August 28, 1952, in La Paz, a suburb of Montevideo, Uruguay, Fernández began guitar lessons at seven with Raúl Sanchez, himself a student of Andrés Segovia. His interpretive approach has at times been likened to Segovia’s own. At eleven he and his brother, frequent duet partners, made their first public appearance. Although he repeatedly set the instrument aside, he invariably returned to it. After another interruption at fifteen he resumed study, pursuing theory and counterpoint with composer Guido Santórsola and devoting four years to guitar with composer Abel Carlevaro while still attempting to finish a university degree in economics.

A prize at the 1972 Porto Alegre Competition in Brazil prompted him to abandon economics for music. He first extended his reach beyond South America in 1975 by entering the Radio France Guitar Competition, where he again placed. In 1977 he gave the first of numerous New York recitals sponsored by the Center for Inter-American Relations. His London debut followed in 1983; thereafter his engagements encompassed solo programs and concerto appearances on several continents.

Strong reviews for the London recital secured him a Decca contract despite his limited renown at the time. He went on to record eighteen albums for Decca and its affiliated labels, including a 2005 account of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez issued by BBC Music Magazine. His discography juxtaposes South American repertoire with European works both inside and outside the Spanish tradition, ranging from Bach to Luciano Berio. As of 2020 his most recent release remains the recording of André Previn’s Guitar Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer himself, which appeared in 2016.

The guitarist’s textbook was published in English as Technique, Mechanism, Learning in 2002 and soon reached an international readership.