The Essential Julian Bream [Original recording remastered]

Francisco Tarrega (Composer), Heitor Villa-Lobos (Composer), Joaquin Malats (Composer), Joaquin Turina (Composer), Albert Roussel (Composer), William [composer] Walton (Composer), Manuel de Falla (Composer), Emilio Pujol (Composer), Joaquin Rodrigo (Composer), Benjamin Britten (Composer), Gaspar Sanz (Composer), Francisco Guerau (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Dionysio Aguado (Composer), Fernando Sor (Composer), Luigi Boccherini (Composer), Mauro Giuliani (Composer), Enrique Granados (Composer), Malcolm Arnold (Composer), Julian Bream Consort (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Julian Bream Consort
• Composer: Francisco Tarrega, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Joaquin Malats, Joaquin Turina, Albert Roussel, et al.
• Audio CD (January 15, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B0010DJ16A
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,598 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The performer's choice, January 24, 2008

By 

Paul Magnussen (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Essential Julian Bream (Audio CD)

I should make clear at the outset that I don't own this (double) album. However, over the years I have accumulated all the recordings in previous manifestations. Since Amazon does not (as I write) list the contents, I give it below. By my computation, the total time is well over two hours.

1) Recuerdos de la Alhambra [Tárrega]
2-4) Studies No. 7, 8 & 12 [Villa-Lobos]
5) Serenata andaluza [Malats]
6) Fandanguillo, Op. 36 [Turina]
7) Segovia, Op. 29 [Roussel]
8) Bagatelles (5) [Walton]
9) Homenaje "pour Le tombeau de Claude Debussy" [Falla]
10) The Miller's Dance [Falla]
11) Invocación y danza [Rodrigo]
12-18) Courtly Dances from Gloriana, Op. 53 [Britten]
19) Gallardas [Sanz]
20) Canarios [Sanz]
21) Villano [Guerau]
22) Canario [Guerau]
23) Trio Sonata, BWV 525 [Bach]
24) Rondo Brillant Op. 2/2 [Aguado]
25) Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 9 [Sor]
26) Introduction and Fandango [Boccherini]
27) Rossiniana No. 1, Op. 119 [Giuliani]
28) Valses poéticos (7), H. 147 [Granados]
29) Guitar Concerto, Op. 67: Lento [Arnold]

The trouble with "Essential", "Best of" and "Ultimate" collections is of course that the choice can never be other than personal. In this regard, however, the present album has an especial distinction: the choice is (it says here) by Mr Bream himself.

This being the case, there are some some surprising omissions: Britten's Nocturnal, written for Bream and considered by many (although not by me) to be the greatest piece ever written for classical guitar; nothing by Dowland, reportedly the performer's favourite composer; in fact, no Renaissance lute music at all, although he was one of its greatest modern pioneers.

Another oddity is that RCA should add to its many Bream anthologies at the same time as it is apparently busy deleting many of his earlier albums, a source of much wailing and gnashing of teeth among those who were too young to buy them when they first appeared.

And so this compilation only gets three stars from me, despite the five-star performances; it's simply too much of a dog's breakfast, and it's not even a DVD Audio or Super Audio CD like Popular Classics. If I had no Bream recordings whatsoever, I would get the original albums -- what remains of them.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best of, June 28, 2009

By 

Dmitri M. A. Hubbard (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Julian Bream (Audio CD)

Bream apparently chose these tunes for the collection. I have heard many Bream albums over the years. I preferred every one to this. It seems to be all over the place as a collection, without the kind of thematic atmosphere on one of his albums. Some nice songs, but no unison.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Playing, good sampling of Bream, August 14, 2010

By 

Samuel T. Thornton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Essential Julian Bream (Audio CD)

Recently I became aware that even though I have lots of recordings by Segovia, and several by Christopher Parkening, John Williams, and Eliot Fisk, I had none by Julian Bream despite the fact that I have listened often to him on the radio. Despite the negative reviews of selection, etc. I seriously disagree with that.

I have many of these selections by other artists, but as I said this double album is my first Bream. I doubt that it will be the last. I think the selections are perfect. Granted they cover a lot of time, and a lot of styles, but that makes it even more appealing to me. The performances are first rate.

A definite recommendation if you want a good selection and cross section of great guitar works. Also, it should be noted that there are some lute works also, another Bream specialty, a concerto, and some other works with additional instruments.