Born in 1949, Fabio Vacchi stands among the pre-eminent Italian composers of his generation. Working primarily in the operatic field, he has had pieces staged at the Teatro alla Scala and by the Opéra Comique in Paris, the Opera de Lyon, the Maggio Musicale in Florence and the Teato Comunale in his home city of Bologna. Vacchi’s instrumental pieces have attracted similar high-profile performances. His chamber cycle Luoghi Immaginari (1987-1992), has been given across the world, including at the Salzburg Mozarteum conducted by Daniel Harding. Other pieces were commissioned by Claudio Abbado and by the Tokyo Quartet.
The most substantial piece on this new collection of his chamber pieces was commissioned by the Swedish guitarist Magnus Andersson and first performed by him in 1997 as a guitar concerto; this Quintetto Notturno Concertante dates from 2012 and is a masterful condensation of the complexities of the original, rich instrumental texture, while preserving its fleeing moods and subtly shifting changes of harmony. At the other end of this collection, Livia Rado sings Flow my Dowland, a rapturous transformation of five songs by the Elizabethan lutenist, in which the original vocal part is richly embroidered by Vacchi’s own modern reimagination of the accompanying part, scored for a small ensemble of winds, strings, vibraphone and harp, to melting and magical effect. In between come a pair of solo works, though in fact Plynn quotes Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland as a study of harmonics on the guitar, evoking its most dreamlike and insubstantial timbres. The earliest piece here is a Suite for flute and guitar, dating from 1971. Here, the 22-year-old Vacchi is at his most experimental in terms of both form and harmony, employing extraneous elements such as pen and paper and sending both instruments to the extremes of their register, though always with an intrinsically idiomatic sympathy. Any listener with an ear for the Italian postwar avant-garde will find this newly recorded album full of delight and discovery.
(Guitar) "Yepes' cadenza is as clean and bright as a new pin, and his rapid repeated-note finish is fantastic." "I am coming to regard the Fantasia para un gentilhombre with it's gracious nobility and baroque feeling as a masterpiece to match the more famous Concierto de Aranjuez." (Harp): "Zabaleta plays most beautifully and the recording is immaculate." (Gramophone)
Vivaldi's three concertos are the prize of this disc. He always excels at slow movements and the slow movements of these concertos are some of his best The three Vivaldi concertos here recorded were all written for other instruments entirely (violin, lute, mandolines), The guitar is an instrument of demonstrable antiquity, although it's use in the concert-hall is relatively recent, with an increase in popularity due in part to the performances of players like Andres Segovia, using a more resonant form of the instrument, and in part to less worthy associations. The Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi, priest and violinist, impresario and teacher, spent most of his working life in his native city, employed intermittently at the Ospedale della Pieta, an institution for the education of orphan, illegitimate or impoverished girls which enjoyed a high musical reputation. Vivaldi wrote nothing for the guitar, but the music he wrote for lute and for mandoline has been appropriated by guitarists for whom it provides a valuable and apt addition to repertoire. The A major Guitar Concerto, RV 82, is in origin a Trio for violin and lute, and this, with the Concerto in D major for lute and two violins, RV 93, is inscribed with the name of Count Johann Joseph von Wrtby, a high official in Bohemia, where he served as royal governor and hereditary treasurer. It is thought that Vivaldi may have met the Count in Prague in 1730, when he was absent from Venice. The G major Double Concerto, RV 532, designed for two mandolines, is splendidly effective in it's two guitar version.
Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez | Maurice Ravel: Bole
Accentus Music
Vinyl
$39.99Oct 16, 2026
Two iconic masterpieces of the twentieth century come together on this exceptional release that will be available on vinyl and digitally: Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" and Maurice Ravel's "Bolero". Recorded at Valencia's renowned Palau de la Música, the album combines a live performance of Rodrigo's celebrated guitar concerto and the rarely heard "Tiento Antiguo" (June 2024) with a studio recording of Ravel's mesmerizing Bolero (February 2026). Together, these works reveal two distinct yet complementary visions of musical Spain, viewed through the lenses of one of Spain's greatest composers and one of France's most brilliant orchestrators. At the center of the recording is acclaimed Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic, whose artistry, technical mastery and expressive depth have made her one of the leading guitarists of her generation. She is joined by the Orquesta de Valencia under the direction of Alexander Liebreich, whose dynamic leadership has further strengthened the orchestra's position among Spain's leading symphonic ensembles. From the poetic lyricism and emotional intensity of Concierto de Aranjuez to the irresistible rhythmic momentum and dazzling orchestral colors of Bolero, this release captures music of enduring beauty, passion and brilliance. The combination of live spontaneity and studio precision makes for a compelling listening experience and a distinguished addition to any classical vinyl collection.
American Classics - Awakenings: New American Chamber Music For Guitar
Naxos
CD
$19.99Aug 31, 2010
Chamber music breaks exciting new ground with these three works by leading American composers. Aaron Jay Kernis’s beautiful Two Awakenings and a Double Lullaby is a touching song cycle for the unusual combination of soprano, violin, guitar and piano. In the rhythmically agile Aged Tunes, Jorge Liderman contrasts the sonorities of guitar and string quartet. Steven Mackey’s Measures of Turbulence, a remarkably subtle soundscape despite its title, explores the gonglike multiphonic sounds of acoustic and electric guitars. Each of these new pieces was written for the artists who perform them here.
Catalan music comes from Catalonia, one of the most distinctive Spanish regions. This music has little in common with traditional Spanish folklore. +During the resurgence of the Catalan culture in the late 1800s, many outstanding composers and performers rose to fame, including Enric Granados, Ricard Vines, Alicia de Larrocha, and Pau Casals. This album is performed by guitarist Franz Halasz.
Well known for her performances with early music groups and acclaimed for her performances both as a soloist and a continuo player, cellist Mime Yamahiro Brinkman presents here her first solo disc. For this release, Brinkmann has chosen a programme which takes the listener on a journey through the rise of the cello, from its beginning as accompaniments in church music to the well-loved solo instrument that it is today. Harpsichordist Bjorn Gavfert joins Brinkmann throughout this recording, and baroque guitarist Karl Nyhlin joins the group for the two Boccherini sonatas making this an outstanding recording for any cello lover.
Playful and with an acute ear for the full range of possibilities of the human voice, Perttu Haapanen has established himself as one of the most exploratory and intellectually curious composers of vocal music active in the Nordic countries. His output includes works for a wide variety of musical formations, but the human voice is central to much of it. He combines a deep understanding of traditional choral sonority with a modernist fascination for extended techniques and structural rigor and a post-modern interest in the deconstruction of text. In his writing, Haapanen examines the full range of sound production available using the human vocal apparatus. We hear singing, of course, but also whispering, speaking, shouting, Sprechgesang, breathing sounds, whistling, lip smacks, tongue clicks, grunting as well as nasal tone and falsetto. Haapanen's use of text is also far from traditional: he is as interested in words for their sonic qualities as he is in the meanings they convey, separating them into their individual phonemes or using similar-sounding words in quick succession to create a sonic image. The subject matter explored in these texts is varied, but notable in a number of Haapanen's works is his interest in the themes of playfulness and of childhood - although not necessarily the innocent variety. The Helsinki Chamber Choir has a diverse repertoire, as shown on it's previous, acclaimed albums for BIS which range from late Renaissance Christmas hymns via 19th-century Finnish songs to spring to 20th-century modernism. Particularly highly regarded for it's work with new music, the choir under it's artistic director Nils Schweckendiek here takes the step into the 21st century, and proves it's expertise in a highly demanding programme.
This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
Not much is known about Christopher Simpson’s life, except that he was a seminal writer for the viol. Even today modern violists use his manual The Division Viol as a guide to the practice of ‘divisions’, the improvised embellishments that were so fashionable during his time. Much of his music nevertheless goes unperformed, and the present collection of Ayres here receives its first recording, by Chelys, a British quartet of young violists. Describing the collection as being ‘for two trebles and two basses’, the manuscript sources also include parts for continuo. Chelys have therefore enlisted the aid of Dan Tidhar and James Akers in the twenty airs, pavanes, galliards and other dances that fall comfortably into five suites. On the disc are also some examples of Simpson’s Divisions, for two treble viols and for treble and bass viol respectively. As a result, the programme offers fascinating insights into Simpson’s music and the viol during the mid-17th century. By turns melancholy, lively and graceful, these Ayres are glowing examples from the tail-end of the great English tradition of music for viol consort – a tradition to which, some ten years after Simpson’s death, Purcell with his celebrated Fantazias would add the final chapter.
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Chelys pace the Ayres beautifully (the galliards are lilting, the aires tuneful) and ornament the repeats...Woven into the 'Ayres & Graces' are dialogues and antiphony, countermelodies, cascading sequences, chromaticism and hemiolas, to which Chelys and their colleagues Dan Tidhar and James Akers artfully draw our attention.
– Gramophone
“[E]ach movement is worthwhile: the B flat major Pavin, to take just one example, is an especially toothsome feast of gently squeezing harmonies… Performed by the four viol players of Chelys and their keyboard and guitar playing colleagues, they sound wonderfully supple, propulsive and alive.” – The Guardian
Guitarra Mía: Tangos by Gardel & Piazzolla / Halász
BIS
SACD
$10.99$21.99Save 50%Apr 07, 2017
The origins of the tango are debatable, but few would disagree in naming Carlos Gardel the first great figure of the genre. Beginning his career as a folk singer, Gardel is also generally regarded as the creator of sung tango, tango canción. In the course of some 25 years, he wrote a large number of songs, recorded numerous discs and acted in several films, achieving international stardom. All the Gardel songs heard here featured in films produced between 1932 and 1935. Lending its title to the present album, Guitarra, guitarra mía was the last song Gardel recorded, shortly before he died in a plane crash in June 1935. Only months earlier, he had encountered a young boy who had a walk-on part in his last film – a striking coincidence, as the boy was Astor Piazzolla, alongside Gardel the most influential figure in the history of the tango. In contrast to Gardel, however, Piazzolla was for a long time the black sheep of traditional tango, eager to explore art music and jazz and to incorporate elements of both in his own music, which became known as nuevo tango. Written for the ensembles that he played and toured worldwide with, pieces such as La muerte del ángel and Vuelvo al sur became immortal. Himself a bandoneon player, Piazzolla often included guitar in his ensembles, but did not compose for solo guitar until in the 1980s, when he wrote the Cinco Piezas that close the disc.
Along with numerous arrangements, these have entered the guitar repertoire and are here performed by the German guitarist Franz Halász, who on recent releases for BIS has impressed the critics to the point of winning a Latin Grammy Award in 2015 with a disc of chamber music by Radamés Gnattali.
REVIEW:
Not only does this bring the music of Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla to a wider audience, with beautifully phrased performances throughout, but it leads us—for those like myself with little background in the Tango—to extensive video clips from the films Gardel made in the 1930s. Both well worth investigating.
Cesar Guerra-Peixe (1914-1993) was a Brazilian composer, violinist, and musicologist whose work reflects a deep engagement with both European classical traditions and the rich diversity of Brazilian folk music. Initially influenced by modernist and serialist techniques, Guerra-Peixe later shifted toward a nationalist style, incorporating rhythms, melodies, and structures derived from regional traditions across Brazil. This transition marked a significant phase in his career, as he sought to create a distinctly Brazilian voice within the concert music tradition. Although Guerra-Peixe is not primarily known as a guitar composer, his contributions to the instrument are notable for their craftsmanship and cultural authenticity. His complete works for solo guitar are relatively few compared to major guitar composers, yet they hold an important place in the Brazilian guitar repertoire. These pieces reflect his ethnomusicological interests, often drawing on northeastern Brazilian musical idioms, such as baiao, maracatu, and frevo. Through these influences, Guerra-Peixe infused his guitar music with rhythmic vitality and expressive nuance. His guitar works demonstrate a clear understanding of the instrument's technical and expressive possibilities. Rather than treating the guitar merely as a harmonic accompaniment, he explores it's capacity for polyphony, timbral contrast, and rhythmic complexity. The writing is idiomatic, making effective use of open strings, varied articulations, and dynamic contrasts, while remaining accessible to skilled performers. Played with great feeling for the idiom by Flavio Nati, one of Italy's foremost guitarists, winner of the Golden Guitar. He played in Carnegie Hall New York as soloist in the guitar concerto of Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
Italian guitarist Francesco Molmenti plays the historic Antonio de Torres 1884 guitar from the 'Carlo Carutti Collection, ' located at the Ala Ponzone Civic Museum in Cremona. Antonio de Torres Jurado (Almeria, 13 giugno 1817 - 19 novembre 1892) stands as a central figure in the history of guitar making. His contribution was crucial in defining the dimensions, shape, design, and construction technique of the modern classical guitar. Thanks to his work, the instrument acquired the features that still distinguish it today. Torres' training most likely took place in Granada. This formative period coincided with what is known as the first era of his activity, which ended in 1869. During these years, the technical and artistic level achieved by the Spanish luthier was particularly high, confirming him as one of the greatest makers of his time. After a break of several years, Torres began in 1875 what is defined as the second era of his production. This phase, which continued until his death in 1892, was characterised by a perfect balance between shape, proportions, weight, and dimensions, elements that made his guitars models of reference for generations of luthiers. The more than one hundred known guitars built by Torres were admired and often imitated: over the years, many instruments were attributed to him, even if they were fakes, sometimes made by renowned and skilled luthiers. A representative example of Torres' work is the guitar preserved in the Carlo Alberto Carutti collection. Built in Almeria, the instrument features a label with the date 1884 and progressive number 59, placing it in the 'second period' of the luthier's creative activity. This era was characterised by the use of more economical woods such as cypress and mahogany, which Torres alternated with finer materials such as maple and Brazilian rosewood intended for top-end instruments. Different options that did not affect the sound quality of the guitars made by the Almeria luthier. Two elements give coherence and unity to the programme of this recording. First, all the selected pieces share the presence of a female name in their title; moreover, almost all the composers are of Spanish origin (with the exception of Claude Debussy) and lived during the period in which Antonio de Torres (Almeria, 1817-1892) built his guitars. It is known that Julian Arcas, Francisco Tarrega, Miguel Llobet, and Antonio Jimenez Manjon played instruments crafted by Torres. Of the other composers, fewer biographical details are known, but the aesthetics of their works perfectly match the timbre and sensitivity of the nineteenth-century guitar. The programme also includes two compositions by non-guitarist composers: La maja de Goya by Enrique Granados and La fille aux cheveux de lin by Claude Debussy. The former, in Miguel Llobet's transcription, is ideally connected to the selection of Catalan songs; the latter, conceived as a 'bonus track, ' is a poetic homage to the French composer and to his ideal dialogue with Spain - a country he never visited, yet deeply evoked, as in La soiree dans Grenade.
