“The best of the established guitar duos have consisted of players who are/were either married or blood-related – favourable conditions for in-built empathy. Presti-Lagoya set the pace in the 1960s, one which has still to be fully matched. Now we have the Hungarian duo of the Katona twins, possessed of a technique most others can only dream of. Their needlesharp unanimity of thought and attack is such that listening 'blind' you might wonder how a player could possibly have so many digits. Rodrigo wrote only two works for two guitars, the Tonadilla and (with orchestra) the Conciertomadrigal. Neither has been better recorded than here. In the latter the recorded balance often tips slightly in favour of the orchestra, but this is a minor quibble. In order to flesh out the aprogramme the Katonas have made admirable arrangements of six piano pieces written between 1931 and 1981, and these magnificently played versions for two guitars should keep Rodrigo aficionados happy enough. The Katonas have yet to parallel the emotional depth and warmth of Presti-Lagoya, but they have youth on their side and, being in total command of every other necessary 'tools', they may well become world-beaters. This is a stunning disc, to which the orchestra and recording engineers have made fitting contributions.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
