Barcelona?born Miguel Llobet was a renowned guitar virtuoso who once played for the Spanish royal family in the early 20th century. Credited with beginning the notion of a touring classical guitarist, Llobet travelled throughout Europe and beyond, briefly settling in both Paris and Buenos Aires. He later returned to Barcelona, unable to distance himself from his birthplace despite the grip of the civil war in which the city found itself.

This collection brings together Llobet’s complete works for guitar, beginning with Leonesa and his popular arrangements of 13 Catalan folk songs. These arrangements, each of a varying character, wring a different emotion from the guitar, from the sprightly L’Hereu Riera and lilting El Noi de la Mare to the flourishes of Canc?o? de Lladre and the mournful El Testament d’Amelia. The Variations on a Theme of Sor, based on Fernando Sor’s B minor study, contrast a haunting melody with complex articulation. Also featured on the disc are Llobet’s 5 Preludes, the Argentinian Folk Songs, Etudes, the witty and bright Scherzo?Waltz, and the composer’s debut composition Romance, among others.

Italian guitarist Giulio Tampalini studied at the Luca Marenzio Conservatory in Brescia and the G.F. Ghedini Conservatory in Cuneo, and has attended masterclasses all over the world with performers such as Tilman Hoppstock, Eliot Fisk and Dusan Bogdanovic. He has won awards at many international competitions and has performed with orchestras across Europe, America and Asia, including the Andalusian Symphony Orchestra, the European Soloists of Luxembourg, and Pittsburgh’s Point Chamber Orchestra.

OTHER INFORMATION:
* Recorded 3–6 May 2012, Barto?k Recording Studio, Bernareggio, Milan.
* Contains notes on the composer and a biography of the artist.
* Tampalini plays on a Philip Woodfield 2010 guitar (strings: Aquila Perla).