Customer Reviews

Latin Romances for Guitar

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

 

 

The classical guitar can struggle against the volume of an orchestra and that fact is evident in this CD. Isbin's masterful skill is often overwhelmed by the orchestra, something that perhaps could have been lessened with better remastering. Nonetheless, if you appreciate classical guitar played by a real talent, this CD is for you. The unaccompanied Latin Romances illustrate Isbin's work at its best, clean and precise with pure tonal production. Her technical mastery as well as her lyricism are often on display. I found the Schwantner composition, written at Isbin's request, somewhat heavy-handed and hard to listen to. The Rodrigo recordings, even allowing for the occasionally overwhelming orchestra, are bright and crisp. Isbin's feeling for Rodrigo's music comes through clearly in these recordings. Despite the somewhat onerous orchestations, I would recommend this CD to anyone who appreciates clear, precise, lyrical classical guitar. There's definitely enough in here to make this a worthwhile purchase. Two CD set. PS: to get the second CD out, open the inner door from the center out! I'm an engineer, and it took me several tries to figure it out (may because I'm an engineer!).

If you want to hear some diverse recordings of Sharon Isbin gathered in one place for a fair price, then you have arrived. She does a good job on some of my favorites, e.g., Mallorca and Capricho Arabe, though not the best that you'll find. You'll have to listen to Norbert, Bream and Williams for the best Mallorca and other Albeniz transcriptions and to Parkening and Boyd for the best Capricho Arabe.

But what disturbs me the most about this recording is the omission of the lovely first movement (my favorite), called "Preludio", from La Catedral. What conceivable reason could there possibly be to omit this 2 minute movement? That alone cost this recording one star.

Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is wonderfully presented on CD 1 by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and Sharon Isbin's world class talents on guitar. Isbin joins several noteworthy classical guitarists who have played Rodrigo's Concierto as well as the Fantasia that follows. CD 2 shows why Isbin is considered one of the world's best soloists as she interprets the works of several great Latin composers, with "Capricho Arabe", "El Decameron Negro" and "Asturias" as the standout pieces. Paz Abreu's brief work, "Quejas", is a simple but beautiful piece, tinged with melancholy and longing, and the "Invocacion y Danza", though not as popular as the "Concierto de Aranjuez", is another excellent interpretation by Isbin.