Villa-Lobos - 12 Guitar Etudes [Fernandez] 

Villa-Lobos isn't a regular in my Blog, and this is only his second entry, but his Guitar Preludes / Etudes really are compelling, i've got a thing about Classical Guitar miniatures, the guitar is such an expressive instrument, and all sorts of 'un'famous Composers can become very skilled in creating a miniature, these 12 Etudes pan out to 32 minutes of music, the shortest is 1:24, and the longest is 4:19, and there's a real tremendous variety, and i find it extremely rewarding getting to know each one individually, the only other Blog entry for Villa-Lobos was a recital by Julian Bream, where i also was transfixed by these Etudes [7th March 2012].

Eduardo Fernandez is Uruguayan, he's now 60, he recorded this disc back in 1985, the front cover is Artwork by John Clementson, showing a crazy picture of a guitar, with lizards and snakes, very colourful in its reds and blues, with equally creative lettering, i actually really like it.

The three Etudes i liked the best were 4 & 11-12, and here's a synopsis of each,
Etude 4 [4:19] - The longest Etude of all [just], and a study in rhythm, very flamenco in the way the strings are Strummed, the volume comes in waves, also the intensity too, there's this wonderful use of a bass note at a lovely penultimate moment throughout, in some ways it may outstay its welcome because of the repetition and the length, but there are subtle changes throughout, repays repeated listening. 
Etude 11 [4:10] - At first sounding as if it's going to be a slow study, but actually it's only the long intro [0:00-0:51], it then becomes a highly virtuosic vehicle [0:57+], lots of sour strums interspersed with a pulsating a rhythm, but just when you think these will be the only two elements to the whole piece, a third even more intense harder rhythm comes in [1:48-2:25], and most musically satisfying it changes back to the second subject again [2:25+], it's the pieces wonderful ability to defy what you expect it would / should that makes it an exciting joy to listen to, and surprisingly again we come full circle as the whole piece ends where it started [2:55+], making the whole thing into a great symmetry, my favourite Etude from Villa-Lobos.
Etude 12 [2:14] - The final piece is really is a showstopper, a great finale if you like, played very frantically, and its intensity comes from its speed, real twangings here [0:00-0:43], lots of travelling up and down the fret, superb virtuosity from Fernandez, i like the close repetitive notes in the middle of the piece [0:42-1:17], the beginning returns as a nice A-B-A structure [1:18+], and right at the end there's a nice final flourish as a 'cherry on the top' of the whole piece / work! [1:57-2:07].

Various Composers - Guitar Preludes / Songs / Homages [Sollscher] 

One of the best guitar recital discs i own, this is full of good things, and back in 2000 i really played it a lot, it still gets a fair amount of play, however this is its Blog debut, which is surprising, it consists of 23 guitar miniatures, and delves into some off the beaten path Composers, just about everything is worth hearing, and some are real gems, just put it on shuffle and relax.

Goran Sollscher is Swedish, he is now 57, a mainstay of the DG label, he recorded this disc in 1997, the booklet photograph [by Henrik Bjornsson] is a little treasure, expertly done, shows movement in the hands, and a good pose, i guess the background has been cut away, but i like the lettering, even if his name is rather large.

A whole host of tracks were so enjoyable with four that were especially tremendous 2, 7, 9, & 15, but i would like to give a synopsis of the track 15, the Sor piece, it's my favourite piece on the whole disc, and in fact one of the greatest Guitar Miniatures ever written, Sor is not a household name, his crime was composing for the guitar, that's why he has a certain degree of obscurity, but he was the 'Chopin of the guitar', if this piece was originally written for piano it would be famous, it's a tremolo study, and it's one of those gorgeous pieces where two separate melodies intertwine, rather like left and right hands on a piano, the background tremolo accompaniment is like a gentle spinning wheel, it's written in the key of E Minor, and there's a certain sense of longing to the piece, here expertly played by Sollscher, there's certain moments where you have to hang notes in the air for an extra moment for the whole thing to truly take effect, the piece also just cries out in certain places, Sor gets underneath the skin, the music also rises and falls superbly, and it carries you on the crest of a wave at times, there's this one penultimate moment near the end where time stands still [2:41+], the equal of Chopin's Etude Op10/3, i feel better for having listened to this today.

Here's Warren Haskell playing Sor's Etude Op6/11 on YouTube.

Various Composers - 'Live In Tokyo' Guitar Works [Boyd] 

For quite some time i've been meaning to buy some Liona Boyd discs, she's got some desirable discs in her catalogue, but which one?, i bought this as the cover looked really good, plus the repertoire on the disc sounded interesting too, though i'm a bit dubious about live recordings, especially in a recital of smaller pieces, but that didn't worry me as i listened to this disc, she plays pieces over a huge era, and a very varied programme, though i must admit that some more music would have been welcomed [53 minutes].

Liona Boyd was born in England, but moved to Canada when she was eight with her parents, so i guess she counts as Canadian, she's now 63, she made this recording in 1984, the front cover picture [by Yoshino Oishi], shows a portrait of Boyd, very much a Japanese theme, i like the green dress and the blonde hair, there's a certain glow about her in the sunlight, and like Japanese writing, the lettering is written from top to bottom, altogether a lovely picture.

There were some good unknowns on this disc, probably the Soler Sonata was a nice little discovery, but the piece that i found the really best was track 7 'Mallorca' by Albeniz, originally written by piano, it's transcribed here by Boyd herself, and i must admit that i've heard this piece being played on the guitar before, and on this version it's slightly different, a 6 minute piece, slow and languid, but with a faster and more exciting central section, the key is actually in D Minor [for me the key of death!, though i'm sure that isn't what Albeniz had in mind], the opening tune is gorgeous, so when the central section comes in [1:42-4:00] it creates such a wonderful variant, a very nice rhythm indeed, starting with an opening strum, and it uses this as a sort of 'idee fixe' throughout, and even in this central section, it seems to have it's own central section, where some nice judicious high treble notes are played [2:40-3:00], the return to the very opening tune [3:00+], can seem a Minor downturn, but the tune is beautiful, and the whole thing is played with expert virtuosity by Boyd, she can be a crossover Artist, but she's no slouch when it comes to the real thing, she's a serious pro, a lovely little recital disc, the Japanese audience are very polite indeed, and are as unobtrusive as can be.

Here's Samuel Klemke playing Mallorca by Albeniz on YouTube.

Various Composers - Road To The Sun 'Latin Romances For Guitar' [Isbin] 

I bought this disc in 1995, from a second hand shop in 1995, at the time i was deeply into solo Classical Guitar music, Classical music certainly fits perfectly within the guitar medium, however the real Classical greats [Beethoven, Bach, Schubert, Chopin etc] really didn't know the Guitar [ok maybe Bach with the Lute], it almost comes across as a modern instrument, only used by later Composers, harps are part of the orchestra, but never guitars, and of course it has the Folk, Blues, Rock idiom attached to it, no wonder it seems unwelcome, Rodrigo changed that with his Guitar Concerto [Aranjuez], but solo it's still something which many people avoid, who love say solo Piano Music, i can't understand peoples reticence of this genre, Composers like Tarrega, Ponce, Barrios, Sor, Pujol, Villa-Lobos etc compose marvellous music for this instrument, it cannot sustain the sheer time lengths that a piano can, that's why it's perfectly suited to the miniature, and yet when searching possible discs to buy, there's a dearth of recordings to satisfy my thirst, this disc goes some way towards getting me excited again, i haven't played this disc for ages, but it was good to delve into it again, and there were surprises too, makes me want to explore things further.

Sharon Isbin born in America, she's now 56, and she recorded this disc in 1988, the front cover picture [by Stuart O'Shields] is a nice portrait, i like the bodice she is wearing, however the rose is quite obtrusive, but the gentle grey-green background is very nice, i recommend her Bach Lute Suites [15th June 2011].

Here's Alexia Knopp playing Barrios's 'La Catedral' on YouTube, the second part Allegro Solemne starts at 1:48.

Villa-Lobos - 12 Guitar Etudes [Bream]

Another first for my Blog, this is the first time Villa-Lobos appears, and in one of his very best works indeed, his 12 Etudes have a kinship with Chopin, technically difficult, and yet not mere 'studies' or 'exercises', first and foremost they're satisfying music regardless of whether they're easy or difficult for the player, they are beautiful on the ear, i certainly feel that Classical Composers have neglected the guitar, why compose on the guitar when you have the piano?, but the guitar has such a unique and individual voice, its solo music sits perfectly as miniatures, a short 'commercial' as it were, to introduce an idea and tickle the ear / brain, and those that compose in books of works [books of 12 or 24 pieces work perfectly], make individual statements within a framework of an even bigger whole, these 12 small pieces [just over 30 minutes], are some of the very best things you can listen to, and i was wowed by their inventiveness today.

Bach - Lute / Guitar Suite 4-BWV1006a [Isbin] 

More solo Bach, i delved into these suites early on in my Classical music quest, and immediately i fell in love with them, and it fuelled a love for Classical music played by the guitar, i don't know why the guitar hasn't broken into the Classical repertoire the same way as the violin or cello has, the guitar seems a loner, there's Composers that almost exclusively composed for the guitar, Sor and Tarrega for instance, and they're marginalised because of it, but for me it's a terrific instrument, i certainly find it easier to listen to than solo violin music.

Sharon Isbin is American, born in 1956, she is a tremendous advocate of commissioning new works, this disc was recorded in 1988, and it shows Isbin on the front cover with her guitar [photo by Stuart O'Sheilds], a soft focus shot, nice blue / green colour dress, and excellent lettering, makes this a really nice Lute Suites disc to own.

The Suite No4 has 6 movements to it, and i'm really fond of 1, 3 & 5-6, but it's the opening Prelude that is the crowning glory of the whole disc, a virtuoso piece of guitar music, lasting just over 4 minutes, it alternates between robust virtuoso playing, and refrained lyrical thoughtfulness, not a serious extreme, very subtle, but it causes nice waves, and it's this constant complexity which excites the heart and mind, it's a whirlwind of a piece, it never lets up, there's no pauses to take a breath, and it's hard to actually point out and focus in on any one part, because it just doesn't unravel and becomes parts, it's like a seamless woven garment, there is a sort of resolution in the middle [3:19-3:28], but deep down it's not a piece to 'think'about, rather just lie back and listen, and soak it all up.

Here's John Williams playing the opening Prelude on YouTube.