Search - Heitor Villa-Lobos, Agustin Barrios-Mangore, Julio S. Sagreras :: Latin American Guitar Works

Good collection of Latin American guitar music

Mike Shanahan | Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii USA | 07/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Given the price and the quality of the playing, this recording is highly recommended. My only caveat is that it's unfortunate that we have to turn to compilations like this to get recordings by such guitarists as Eduardo Fernandez, whose CDs are nowhere as available as this great Uruguayan guitarist deserves. That said, thanks to this compilation of Latin American guitar music by various guitarists, we do have Fernandez's recording of all six of Villa Lobos's choros for solo guitar (Choros #1 and the Suite Populaire Bresilienne). Fernandez plays the five movements of the Brazilian Suite without taking any of the cuts that are sometimes made in this music, which sweetly blends European dances with Brazilian harmonies. Other highlights include Alexander-Sergei Ramirez's smooth, even tremolo on Barrio's "Limosna por el amor de Dios"; Pepe Romero blazing interpretation of El Colibri ("the hummingbird") by Sagreras; and, in the one Segovia piece, a sweet take on the Cancion from Three Mexican Songs by Ponce. Overall the sound quality is very good, excepting the ancient recording of a 17 year old John Williams playing the Valse Criollo of Lauro.

"