Customer Reviews

Carulli: Guitar Sonatas Op. 21, Nos. 1-3 & Op. 5

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Contrary to what another reviewer said, this is a great album. The sound of the guitar is rich and warm, one of the most pleasing timbres I have ever heard. I have been a classical musician for over 30 years, and this is the best and most musical guitar sonatas I have ever heard. It contains subtle and expressive phrasing that makes me want to cry and some surprising virtuosic passages. Richard Savino has earned my highest respect for playing with such refinement and poise. One must have this cd in order to have a well rounded musical library, you will not be sorry.

Savino shows us once again why he is on top of the classical guitar world. He has a strong interpretation of music which makes Carulli's somewhat boring pieces suddenly become entertaining. This album reminds us of how great of a composer that Carulli really was. Savino shows that he is a gutsy player with flawless technique. This was proved to me by attending a concert of his where he put on an arpeggio show as he likes to do. Savino is one of the most underated guitarists of our time and in my opinion has the maturity and poise to be rated right up there with Segovia, Williams, and Bream. THIS ALBUM IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY GUITARIST!

I will agree with earlier posts (as these people can communicate musical phrasing better than I). The music is easy to listen to and the sound is great; not over-produced or over-gained as many recordings are. The music is approachable for most intermediate guitarists as well. This can be an excellent reference recording.

Carulli's music resembles Haydn and Mozart, while being somewhat simpler in texture. Melody is the main focus of the composition, the music is fun and playful, and there are little or no harmonic or contrapuntal complications. I liked the interpretation as well as it catches the humorous attitude of the compositions. Check out also the Carulli's concertos for guitar and orchestra.

First of all, in response to the reviewer who complained about poor sound quality, the audio recording quality on this CD is excellent. Mr. Savino is playing a period instrument (or perhaps a replica), which has a totally different sound quality than a modern classical guitar. Listeners may have their own preferences about period instruments, but personally, I've come to enjoy the wide variety of tonal qualities that are available with different instruments, and Mr. Savino's guitar here sounds great to me. It has a darker tonal color, but is plenty rich to carry this music of Carulli. His playing is technically superb, no buzzing or squeaking, and his balance of melodic and accompaniment voices is flawless. Notes on the recording say that this is the first recording of the Op. 21 pieces in their original solo form. (They were published in a modified piano duo format earlier, not Carulli's original intention.) All in all, if you are a fan of classical period music and the guitar, you can't go wrong with this CD.

Contrary to what one reviewer said, This is a great album. No it is not a modern guitar, so it will not sound like one. The sound is so soothing, one of the most pleasing timbres I have ever heard. I have been a classical musician for over 30 years and this is the most musical guitar album I have ever heard. It possesses both sophisticated subtleties and virtuosic passages. It is rare that a guitar player will play with any sort of refinement without playing too dry or overly romantic. Richard Savino has earned my highest respect. Savino's program notes are also of the highest caliber. Over all, I would say that one needs this cd to have a well rounded classical library.

I have never been a fan of classical music, especially guitar. However when I listened to this CD I was surprised to find myself telling my husband to be quite. I feared to miss even a beat of music. If you want to start a classical music collection, this is a must have!

This is some of the more interesting music I have heard from Carulli, and expressively and expertly played by Richard Savino on a very interesting looking instrument that you can see in the notes. However, the recorded CD sound is not good, perhaps the worst of the many guitar albums I have owned. The frequency response seems to cut off at about 4000 Hz, making the guitar sound muffled and unrealistic. We may be talking about quality control at Naxos instead of recording glitches, but my advice is: do not buy this CD unless you need the music and do not mind a smothered guitar.