Alirio Diaz

Alirio Diaz
(b La Calendaria, Carora, 12 Nov 1923). Venezuelan guitarist. He learnt the native cuatro, then the guitar with Raúl Borges and Clement Pimentel in Caracas, where he gave his first recital in 1950 at the Biblioteca Nacional.

He was awarded a government grant to study with Regino Sainz de la Maza in Madrid (1950–53), and with Segovia at the Accademia Chigiana, Siena (1951–8); he became Segovia’s assistant in 1954 and succeeded him as professor in 1965. He made his débuts in Spain and Italy in 1952, Paris in 1954 and the USA in 1959, toured Germany with the Spanish National Orchestra under Frühbeck de Burgos in 1967, and played under Stokowski and Iturbi in the USA in 1968. He has given masterclasses in Europe and the USA, and has transcribed works by Corbetta and Scarlatti; his performances and editions of the music of Antonio Lauro have been particularly influential. Diaz’s youthful experience as a popular musician has been an asset in his interpretation of folk-inspired pieces by such composers as Barrios, Lauro, Ponce and Villa-Lobos. His brilliant style and technique and the clarity and warmth of his performances have established him as one of the finest guitarists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Orden de Andrés Bello in 1963.