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Miguel LLOBET (1878-1938) Guitar Music: Scherzo Vals; Estudio Capricho Mazurka; 13 Catalan Folksongs; Respuesta (Impromptu); 5 Preludes; Mazurka for Federico Bufaletti; 4 Folksongs; Study in E Major; Romanza; Variations on a theme by Sor Lorenzo Micheli (guitar) Rec. Aula Magna, Seminario Arcivescovile, Ivrea (Turin) April, October 2002 DDD NAXOS 8.557351 [73:42]

Miguel Llobet, a guitarist from Catalonia, was much more widely recognized as a performer than composer and he made the first electrical recordings of the classical guitar. In total, he published about 75 compositions of which 13 were original works. This seems to be the only available disc devoted exclusively to his music and is therefore welcome. Although Llobet absorbed influences from central Europe (suggested by Ronald Purcell in the booklet to be Chopin, Strauss and Wagner), his Spanish (or perhaps I should say Catalan) origins are invariably more prominent. He was taught by Felipe Pedrell (whose pupils also included de Falla, Granados and Albeniz) and his music seems to represent a logical progression from the works of Fernando Sor (1778-1839) and Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909). Many of the Thirteen Catalan Folksongs sound familiar from other arrangements and contain wonderfully atmospheric melodies. The rest of the music is likely to be unfamiliar to most listeners and, whilst they are not masterpieces, these works are worth getting to know. As one might expect, this is not a taxing process – this is a disc to relax with at the end of a hard day. If you’re not convinced, try Respuesta or the Sor Variations. Lorenzo Micheli is a persuasive advocate of the music and communicates well. He is quite closely recorded but, overall, the sound is acceptable. The documentation is good and price temptingly low. A valuable addition to the catalogue - this is worth checking out. Patrick C Waller See also review by Andy Daly Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage There will be NO VAT Rises [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

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