Albeniz’s Iberia by the Brazilian Guitar Quartet
After a long silence, partially explained by our move from Hollywood and Highland to a fine new location on Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile, we think we have a new release worth cheering about.
Early in June we will be issuing an exciting new recording by the Brazilian Guitar Quartet … nothing less than their own transcription for four guitars of Isaac Albeniz’s piano masterpiece Iberia, a suite of 12 pieces evoking the spirit of Spain!
Raising eyebrows? Yes, it takes all four guitars — two 6-string and two 8-string — to cope with the fantastic difficulties Albeniz created in this stunning set originally composed to be played by two hands with 10 fingers.
The resulting recording is well worth the enormous effort the Quartet must have exerted to achieve the wonderfully idiomatic performance one hears on the CD. Albeniz, a brilliant pianist as well as composer, often conjured up fabulous ways to make his piano sound like a guitar. Our quartet returns this music to the guitar and in many ways it is a revelation.
If you love Spain or the idea of Spain with its history, romance, color and drama, you will surely find this recording a dazzler. You’ll play it, and play it and play it.
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