Various Artists - Guitar Recital - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Abel Selaocoe, the innovative South African cellist, composer and vocalist, announces the of his second album, Hymns of Bantu on Warner Classics on 21st February 2025. Abel follows the acclaimed of his 2022 debut Where Is Home (Hae ke Kae) with a remarkable new body of work celebrating his South African heritage, and tracing his ancestral path that leads into his vast influences including Western classical repertoire.

The music of the Paraguayan guitarist-composer Augustin Barrios (1885-1944) has come to the attention of guitarists through the efforts of such artists as John Williams. The music of Barrios is typical of the acculturation that was present in the works of Latin American composers at the turn of the century. His compositional style shows both the influences of European Romanticism and of the nationalistic trends that were prevalent in Latin-American music in the latter half of the nineteenth century. His use of forms ranges from European staples such as the mazurka and waltz to South-American folk-music such as the Danzas Paraguayas. Though not as conspicuously programmatic as some of his other works, La Catedral is said to be based on a personal experience of the composer. Though perhaps apocryphal, the story provides a colorful backdrop to the piece. Finding solace near a quiet church in the bustling city of Montevideo, Barrios was inspired to compose the Andante religioso, with it's chorale-like textures and plaintive harmonies. The ensuing Allegro Solemne is said to represent his return to the noisy soundscape of the city. The prelude, initially composed as a single movement saudade in tribute to his wife, was later added to the piece.

Acclaimed soloist and First Prize winner at the 2017 Tarrega International Guitar Competition, Alejandro Cordova has chosen a programme that presents five acknowledged masterpieces of the guitar repertoire, while also paying tribute to the great Andres Segovia- an inspiration to composers such as Manuel Ponce, whose Sonatina meridional evokes the lyrical warmth of Iberia. Covering a wide range of techniques and expressive forms that reveal the guitar's sheer versatility, the distinctive Spanish moods and rhythms of Torroba, Jose and Tarrega are further contrasted by Johann Kaspar Mertz's deeply eloquent Elegie. Alejandro Cordova was born in Cordoba, Mexico. His unique style is based on his exceptional musicality and technical prowess. He began his studies with Jesus Pena before attending the Faculty of Music of the University of Veracruz where he was under the tutelage of Consuelo Bolio, Massimo Gatta and Alfredo Sanchez. He also studied at the Accademia di chitarra in Pordenone and the Conservatory of Music Jacopo Tomadini, Udine.