300 Years of Guitar Masterpieces

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Manuel Barrueco is one of the best guitarists I've ever heard. Listen to his own arrangement of Albeniz's Suite Española and you'll have trouble believing it's only two hands on one guitar. But Barrueco doesn't use his technique to show off. He's a solid musician, as expressive in Bach as in Villa- Lobos. He also makes transcriptions that respect the origins of the music. This is a wide-ranging guitar collection, but all the music is worth hearing, especially in performances like these. The disc is one of the best bargains among all guitar recordings, and Vox's recordings still sound like a guitar. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

Spanish Dances: No. 4 Villanesca
Spanish Dances: No. 12 Arabesca
Etudes For Guitar: No. 7 In E Minor
Etudes For Guitar: No. 3 In D Major
Etudes For Guitar: No. 5 In C Major
Etudes For Guitar: No. 12 In A Minor
Etudes For Guitar: No. 2 In A Major
Etudes For Guitar: No. 8 In C - Sharp Minor
Etudes For Guitar: No. 11 In E Minor
Etudes For Guitar: No. 1 In E Minor
Estudo No. 1
3 Pieces For Guitar: No. 1 Largo
3 Pieces For Guitar: No. 2 Tranquillo
3 Pieces For Guitar: No. 3 Un poco mosso
Suite populaire bresilienne: Mazurka - Choro
Suite populaire bresilienne: Schottish - Choro
Suite populaire bresilienne: Valsa - Choro
Suite populaire bresilienne: Gavotta - Choro
Suite populaire bresilienne: Chorinho

Tracks:

Sonata In D Major, K. 290, L. 206
Sonata In E Minor, K. 292, L. 24
Sonata In E Major, K. 380, L. 23
Sonata In A Major, K. 208, L. 238
Sonata In A Major, K. 209, L. 428
Sonata In D Minor
Sonata In A Major
Sonata In B Minor
Sonata In A Major, Op. 3, No. 1
Variations sur les Folies d'Espagne, Op. 45
Sonata In E Minor, Op. 3, No. 6
Gran Sonata Eroica In A Major, Op. 150: Allegro maestoso
Spanish Dances: No. 1 Minuetto
Spanish Dances: No. 5 Andaluza (Playera)
Spanish Dances: No. 3 Zarabanda

Tracks:

Suite No. 4 In E Major: Prelude
Suite No. 4 In E Major: Loure
Suite No. 4 In E Major: Gavotte en Rondeau
Suite No. 4 In E Major: Menuett
Suite No. 4 In E Major: Bourree
Suite No. 4 In E Major: Gigue
Suite No. 2 In A Minor: Preludio
Suite No. 2 In A Minor: Fuga
Suite No. 2 In A Minor: Sarabande
Suite No. 2 In A Minor: Gigue - Double
First Suite Espagnola, Op. 47: Granada (Serenata)
First Suite Espagnola, Op. 47: Cataluna (Curranda)
First Suite Espagnola, Op. 47: Sevilla (Sevillanas)
First Suite Espagnola, Op. 47: Cadiz (Cancion)
First Suite Espagnola, Op. 47: Cuba (Capricho)

Amazon.com

Manuel Barrueco is one of the best guitarists I've ever heard. Listen to his own arrangement of Albeniz's Suite Española and you'll have trouble believing it's only two hands on one guitar. But Barrueco doesn't use his technique to show off. He's a solid musician, as expressive in Bach as in Villa- Lobos. He also makes transcriptions that respect the origins of the music. This is a wide-ranging guitar collection, but all the music is worth hearing, especially in performances like these. The disc is one of the best bargains among all guitar recordings, and Vox's recordings still sound like a guitar. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Illuminating.......2007-07-04

I'm a thoughtful and introspective person with a diverse background. Of all the old countries, Spain's diverse background appealed to me. This music reflects that appeal.

Essential recordings.......2007-04-06

Not much else really to say about this. It is a collection of brilliant interpretations and the guitar has the most amazing sound I've ever heard on a recording. You will find yourself almost spiritually bound to share this recording with any classical guitar playing friends and aficionados.

Exquisite.......2006-12-14

I was browsing Amazon, shopping for gifts, and when I listened to the snippets of this, I couldn't resist ordering it for myself. It's a 3CD set of beautiful, varied music played by a brilliantly skilled and sensitive master. Barrueco has an extraordinary touch that seems perfect for each piece, from Bach to Paganini to Villa-Lobos. Anyone who likes classical guitar would treasure this set.

The "cool school" of guitar playing.......2006-10-26

This three CD collection is a reissue of Cuban born virtuoso Manuel Barrueco's early Vox LPs, recorded in the late 1970s to early 1980s. Included in this set is his stunning performance of selections by Spanish composers Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados. This 1978 Albéniz/Granados recording is perhaps the greatest example of what I call the "cool school" of guitar playing, eschewing color and warmth in favor of restraint, taste, and note perfect execution. One complaint: in this reissue VoxBox inexplicably spread the Albéniz/Granados selections over three CDs.

Bach and others on the Guitar.......2006-08-10

A wonderful combination between the Great Bach and a master of Guitar

Music Review: