Customer Reviews

Plays Albeniz & Turina

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I am, as always, impressed by Manuel Barrueco's careful and conscientious approach to transcription and performance. Many of the aspects of Albeniz's piano originals are often abandoned or ignored in guitar transcription (presumably because of the level of difficulty in executing certain passages), but Barrueco succeeds in staying true to the spirit of the piano works in these recordings. I am only sorry that the recording is so quiet.

Manuel Barrueco is one of the top classical guitarists today, along with John Williams, Julian Bream and David Russell.

In this CD, he offers music by Albeniz and Turina, including transcriptions of Albeniz' Suite Espagnola, Op. 47 rarely heard on guitar - Aragon, Cuba, Castilla, Cataluna - in addition to such favorites as Granada, Sevilla and Asturias, which are regularly performed by guitarists.

Manuel Barrueco's performances are superb, as are his performances of Turina (Fandanguillo, Sevillana, Rafaga, Homenaje a Tarrega, and Sonata, Op.1). This is the best CD I know of for classical guitar music by Turina, and one of the best for Albeniz, the others being John Williams (Sony), Julian Bream (BMG/RCA), and Jason Vieaux (Azica). It all depends upon what you want: Barrueco's Albeniz comes completely from the Suite Espagnola, Op.47, as does Bream ( 4 pieces for Bream versus 8 for Barrueco); while Williams offers standard guitar classics in his all-Albeniz CD (4 pieces from the Suite Espagnola); and Vieaux offers some first time transcriptions, plus some, but not all, of the standard Albeniz guitar classics Williams does, in Vieaux's superb all-Albeniz CD. Throughout, Barrueco's playing is assured, virtuosic, full of Spanish flavor, and benefits from excellent, incredibly quiet, digital sound.

Warning: Manuel Barrueco's Albeniz/Turina CD has been deleted in Great Britain, so get it while you can!