# Essential Classical Guitar Recordings



## Chrythes

In order to raise awareness of this beautiful instrument and the music that was written for it, and also to find out about essential recordings and performers that some of us might not know about I've decided to open this thread, as the only thread that's dedicated to CG is the one in the String forum (at least from what I could find).

So, I'll start off with this - 








I believe it's one the warmest music and playing I've heard. Bream is precise, his technique is excellent, but unlike Williams he maintains a very rich and warm tone, which is a great accompaniment to a music that is exactly that - colourfull, Mediterranean and sometimes even mellow and slow.


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## joen_cph

I agree, Bream is also my favourite. He explored a lot of undiscovered repertoire, including contemporary composers like Henze, Bennett and Maxwell Davies, and the RCA recordings generally have a fine, warm and rich sound.

His Dowland records are likewise fine.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Julian Bream definitely is the best. I suggest purchasing the 10CD box set he has called "My Favourite Albums" on RCA/Sony Classical.


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## Ukko

Julian Bream is excellent, as is John Williams. Among the geezers, there is still a crowd of Segovia admirers. I have this set:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21EA8QMJDBL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Still, for me the magic name in classical guitar performance is *Yepes*. Search on that name at amazon.com for a _lot_ of options.


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## Jimm

One of my favourites comes in Stockhausen's _Gruppen_ for 3 orchestras which uses an _electric guitar_. This guitar part is extraordinary, masterfully done, and fits into the piece in a very special way, sonically and as apart of his grand design. Check it out.


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## Philip

Chrythes said:


> So, I'll start off with this - <Spanish Guitar Recital>


^ When i saw the thread title i immediately thought of this album.

Next, perhaps:

19th Century Music by David Russell


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## LordBlackudder

Guitar Solo Final Fantasy Official Best Collection


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## Guest

Bream is one of my favorites, too. You might want to investigate Paul Galbraith, although he plays an 8-string guitar. I particularly like his Bach Sonatas and Partitas CD, but his new one with works by Mozart, Bach, Britten, and this Albeniz piece is also excellent.


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## sah

You may also want to investigate Kazuhito Yamashita.


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## Philip

Philip said:


> 19th Century Music by David Russell


Here are some essential classical guitar albums:

Andrés Segovia: 1927 - 1939 Recordings









Latin-American Guitar Music by Barrios and Ponce









Most by John *Williams*, David *Russell*, ...

More personal choices:

Leo Brouwer, Oeuvres pour guitare by Philippe Lemaigre









Villa-Lobos: Choros No.1/Etude Nos. 1-12/Prelude Nos. 1-5 by Alvaro Pierri









Manuel Ponce: The Guitar Sonatas by Jason Vieaux


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## Philip

Not a huge fan of Barrueco personally, but i can't deny the skill and afro

300 Years of Guitar Masterpieces









Modern:

20th Century Guitar Music by Roberto Aussel









Elena Papandreou plays Roland Dyens


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## Philip

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> You just blew up my brain by saying "empty post" in a post that was filled with two words.


I should ask the Lord how he makes posts with fewer than 10 characters, it's been bugging me.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Philip said:


> empty post


You just blew up my brain by saying "empty post" in a post that was filled with two words.


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## Guest

Eliot Fisk is controversial, but there's no denying his jaw-dropping chops or his passion.

Here's a live video of him playing some Scarlatti:






and some Paganini:


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## tdc




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## Orpheus

Philip said:


> Latin-American Guitar Music by Barrios and Ponce
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> Most by John *Williams*, David *Russell*, ...


I can't really recommend that one to serious classical guitar fans, having got it myself and become very frustrated by certain aspects of Williams' performance. The cd is mainly Barrios and includes some of his best known works: La Catedral, Ultimo Canto, Un sueño en la Floresta, Valse no. 3, etc. I would regard Barrios as probably the finest classical guitar composer, at least in his best pieces, but Williams gives little indication of this here. He might have all the technique required to perform Barrios' very demanding work with basic note-for-note correctness, but doesn't seem to ally this to the kind of musicality that is required to bring out the best in it.

His playing tends to be rather bland and often seems hurried, tending to be precice and metronomic at the expense of expression or warmth, which isn't helped by the dry, somewhat thin, bright sound of his guitar. This is about the opposite, in my view, of what is required for a composer like Barrios, who was always essentially a late Romantic composer in mood, whether taking inspiration from Bach or native folklore and guitar styles.

On the other hand that particular Cd is very cheap, so maybe if you just want an introduction to Barrios or were mainly interested in the lengthy filler piece, Ponce's "Folia de España" (which I think Williams makes a much better job of) it's still a decent buy.



Philip said:


> Villa-Lobos: Choros No.1/Etude Nos. 1-12/Prelude Nos. 1-5 by Alvaro Pierri


^ That reminds me, I've recently been listening to the Naxos version of Villa-Lobos' guitar pieces and been quite impressed. Not only is it nicely played and recorded, it contains the very attractive and charming Brazilian Suite as a bonus to the above recording. I believe in fact that this CD is a complete survey of Villa-Lobos' guitar work, at least the completed and recognised pieces. Well worth checking out at the price. I really don't know why Villa-Lobos didn't compose more for guitar, especially since he seems to have been a formidable guitarist himself.









Another recommendation: I don't know much about him (he seems more popular in Scandinavia and Germany from what I can gather) but I was particularly impressed by this recording from the Swedish guitarist Göran Söllscher. It contains a medley of pieces by Dowland, Barrios, Sor, and Ponce, all beautifully played, and is a really nice introduction to all the composers as well as the guitarist himself.


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## Philip

Yes, you may be right. You might enjoy this recording a little more:

From the Jungles of Paraguay: John Williams Plays Barrios









I've heard the Norbert Kraft recording of the Villa-Lobos solo guitar works. The Pierri recording is a personal favourite, but i think it offers more insight into the études. As an illustrative figure, Kraft plays the études in under 29 minutes, while Pierri takes a more comfortable 43 minutes.

Perhaps Kraft was pressured by the label to fit the complete works onto a single disk?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

For a complete Villa-Lobos guitar works recording it must include the following:
Guitar Concerto
Introduction to the Chôros
Chôro no. 1
12 Études
5 Preludes
Suite Populaire Bresilienne

Might fit nicely on 2 discs.


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## Orpheus

Philip said:


> Yes, you may be right. You might enjoy this recording a little more:
> 
> From the Jungles of Paraguay: John Williams Plays Barrios


That looks like a recent album! Hopefully he's matured in his interpretation since he produced the other recording (I think it was back in the 70s), so I may check that one out, thanks. I know he's one of the first guitarists outside Latin America to perform Barrios regularly and has been promoting him for decades - it would be a shame, and a bit counter-productive, if his actual performances are still at the rather mediocre level of that early one.



Philip said:


> I've heard the Norbert Kraft recording of the Villa-Lobos solo guitar works. The Pierri recording is a personal favourite, but i think it offers more insight into the études. As an illustrative figure, Kraft plays the études in under 29 minutes, while Pierri takes a more comfortable 43 minutes.
> 
> Perhaps Kraft was pressured by the label to fit the complete works onto a single disk?


I hadn't thought of that, but it seems worth considering now you mention it. They've been producing a survey of Latin American classic guitar lately, seemingly on the basis of devoting one CD to each composer/country (or several when there is more significant repertoire available, I think there are 3 for Barrios). Pulling out a few stops in order to squeeze all Villa-Lobos' solo works on one CD fits their apparent policy well I would think. (Kraft seems to have done quite a bit of recording other artists for Naxos too, so is presumably more involved in the company than some.)

Having said that I actually quite liked the way he played the Etudes; maybe it's a matter of personal taste (obviously I can't speak for the recording you prefer, not having heard it!) . I was more disappointed in the preludes, if anything, which seemed a bit perfunctory.


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## Philip

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> For a complete Villa-Lobos guitar works recording it must include the following:
> Guitar Concerto
> Introduction to the Chôros
> Chôro no. 1
> 12 Études
> 5 Preludes
> Suite Populaire Bresilienne
> 
> Might fit nicely on 2 discs.


It's the complete SOLO guitar works...


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Philip said:


> It's the complete SOLO guitar works...


Oh well. Ignore the first two.

Have I mentioned Julian Bream's _My Favourite Albums_ 10CD box set? It's basically ten original LPs selected by Julian Bream himself as his finest recordings.


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## Orpheus

Philip said:


> From the Jungles of Paraguay: John Williams Plays Barrios


Would you (or anyone else who has heard it) happen to know if the above album is actually the same as this, with a different label and title?










Here's a nice album I've been listening to on and off lately:










Most classical guitar fans will probably know the Concierto De Aranjuez already, but I was particularly impressed by some of the lesser known music on here. I particularly enjoyed the Fantasia para un Gentilhombre (a very lively piece) and Concertio para una fiesta. These are both on the second disc, which tends to get more play than the first containing Concierto De Aranjuez.


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## Philip

Orpheus said:


> Would you (or anyone else who has heard it) happen to know if the above album is actually the same as this, with a different label and title?


The track list and playing time are the same, but the second one is supposed to be "remastered", whatever that means.


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## cagerty

Wrong thread. Deleted.


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## tdc




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## Gilberto

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Julian Bream definitely is the best. I suggest purchasing the 10CD box set he has called "My Favourite Albums" on RCA/Sony Classical.


I tend to shy away from statements like "the best" but I do approve of Julian Bream. I own a box set, I'm thinking on the order of around 30 CDs and I'm not disappointed with any of it.


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## seven four

John Williams - Bach: The Four Lute Suites


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## Kamakiri

Everything by Judicael is amazing!


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## Animal the Drummer

I'm perhaps less of a Bream fan than some here. There are times when I find his playing a touch rough and ready, lacking the ultimate degree of polish. By contrast the Bach recordings from John Williams nominated by seven four above represent some of the very best Bach playing I know on any instrument, making the very best of the possibilities offered by the different strings of the guitar as a vehicle for polyphonic music.


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## Pugg

​
New generation : Miloš Karadaglić

Albéniz:
Asturias (from Suite espanola, Op. 47)
Granada (from Suite española No. 1, Op. 47)
Sevilla (from Suite Española, Op. 47)

anon.:
Romance d'Amour (Jeux Interdits)

Domeniconi:
Koyunbaba, Op. 19

Granados:
Danza española, Op. 37 No. 5 'Andaluza'
Danza española, Op. 37 No. 2 'Orientale'

Llobet:
El Testament d'Amelia (Amelia's Testament)

Tárrega:
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Lagrima
Adelita
Capricho árabe

Theodorakis:
Méra Magioú (A day in May)
You have set, My Star

_Miloš Karadaglić_ (guitar)

English Chamber Orchestra, Paul Watkins


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## jcofer

The first classical guitar I heard, and still about the only guitar piece I can stand:

Alexandre Tansman: Suite in Modo Polonico; originally written for Andrés Segovia. For what the Wikipedia page on Tansman claims is a "standard repetoire piece", there are remarkably few recordings available. I have this one:


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## KenOC

Sad story. I was in Palm Springs for a large business meeting (lots of clients) and sat down to an expensive group supper at a fancy resort. A Hispanic guitarist was going from table to table strumming away, silver dollars down the side of his trousers, etc. He was pretty good.

When he came to our table I asked for Tarrega's Memories of the Alhambra, a piece I love but a very difficult one. He looked quite pained but gave it the college try. When he was done with the long piece, I happily gave him a large tip. He looked at it, turned on his heel, and walked away.

Well, my eyes were none to good in the dim light. On checking later, I saw I had tipped him exactly one dollar when I had intended twenty. I have felt terrible ever since! And I'm sure he remembers me, and not fondly.


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## Ukko

I hope that you now carry a $20 gold piece for just such occasions.


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## seven four

an old blog post about Claude Debussy arranged for ten stringed guitar and performed by Anders Miolin.


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