Agustin Barrios

Aaron Brock died of an unsuspected heart problem in 2006 aged just 31. A graduate of the Eastman school he was building a recital career and teaching at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. His first CD was released 4 months before his death. The works on this disc were written by various composers from Bach to 20th century classical guitar virtuosi.

Guitarist Thibaut Garcia proves here that all roads lead to and from J.S. Bach. In a colorful homage to the 18th-century German master, arrangements of Bach’s music for guitar sit alongside five composers’ own tributes. Garcia begins his journey with Agustín Barrios’ Baroque-flavoured La catedral before turning to the album’s cornerstone, a technically and dramatically assured performance of Bach’s solo violin Chaconne. There are some fine discoveries here—Tansman’s Inventions are skilful pastiches while Bogdanovic’s Suite brève shines Bach’s music through a 20th-century prism. Soprano Elsa Dreisig brings passion and poise to Gounod’s Ave Maria and the aria from Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas brasileiras No. 5.

Sean Shibe returns to the classical guitar on Profesión, bringing together works by Agustín Barrios, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Alberto Ginastera. The album derives its name from Barrios’s “Profesión de Fe” (profession of faith), a poem which he often used as a preface to his concerts. The poem references indigenous mythological deities, and praises the power of the guitar as the ultimate conduit to the secrets of the divine South-American destiny.

Guitarist, Ana Vidovic, takes us on a journey through the beautiful music of Spanish composer, Federico Moreno Torroba and Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla. Ana also introduces us to "Altiplanos", an interesting piece dedicated to Ingrid Betancourt written by a guitarist and composer Pierre Bensusan. There is also a hauntingly beautiful "Farewell" by Sergio Assad, "Cavatina" by Stanley Myers; the theme from the movie "The Deer Hunter", three etudes by Heitor Villa Lobos. Rounding out the virtuoso performance is "La Catedral", by eminent Paraguayan composer and guitarist, Agustin Barrios Mangore.