Popular Classics for Spanish Guitar [Hybrid SACD] [HYBRID SACD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Isaac Albeniz (Composer), Manuel de Falla (Composer), Miguel Llobet (Composer), Federico Moreno Torroba (Composer), Joaquin Turina (Composer), Heitor Villa-Lobos (Composer), Julian Bream (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Julian Bream
• Composer: Isaac Albeniz, Manuel de Falla, Miguel Llobet, Federico Moreno Torroba, Joaquin Turina, et al.
• Audio CD (January 23, 2007)
• SPARS Code: A-D
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD, Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000KP7LZ2
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,454 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #11 in	Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( B ) > Bream, Julian
  #23 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( T ) > Turina, Joaquin
  #74 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Villa-Lobos, Heitor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arguably the greatest classical guitar recording ever made, January 27, 2007

By	Tom Poore (South Euclid, OH) - See all my reviews

English guitarist Julian Bream has retired from the concert stage. But in his day, he was perhaps the greatest concert guitarist of the 20th century. This is a remastered issue of his 1962 RCA recording. It captures the 29 year old artist in his prime, playing with a passion and flair that no one has surpassed. This CD reminds us of how, in the right hands, the guitar has a voice that no other instrument can match. Too often today the guitar is played as though it's a second rate piano, eschewing the supple shaping of sound for which stringed instruments are uniquely suited. Bream in this recording will have none of this. His approach is unabashedly sensual and prismatic.

Audiophiles may quibble over whether the sound of this 2006 reissue improves on the now deleted 1997 CD reissue. On the plus side, edits are cleaner--for example, in the earlier release there's an obvious edit at the 2:01 mark of Chôro No. 1 that's inaudible in this new CD. This latest remastering, however, has a slightly plummier sound that's not always suited to Bream's incisive playing. Asturias, for example, looses some of its bite compared to the leaner sound of the old CD. Quibbles aside, this is arguably the greatest single classical guitar recording ever made. While other recordings can claim more historical significance--for example, those that premiere important new works--none before or since has better showcased guitar playing at its absolute best.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Available again and improved., September 26, 2007

By	Geoffrey P. Smith "opusposthum" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I reviewed the earlier re-release of this essential recording, and this update is merely to add that the sound quality for normal CD playback is appreciably better to these (non-audiophile) ears. There is greater presence to the guitar, and less 'hiss'. I am unable to comment on the 'super-audio' version, but if you are at all interested in Julian Bream and/or classical guitar, please purchase this recording. The previous reviewer sums it up perfectly and this is (near) perfect music making. Julian Bream ruined all other classical guitarists for me!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great guitar playing, poor sound, January 3, 2008

By	Alberto Pena - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent music and performance, however the quality of the sound is pretty poor, maybe because of the age of the original tapes.
There is so much hiss that it's really annoying in some parts.