The Czar’s Guitars: Souvenirs of Russia

Travel with us to Russia as we explore the unique music of the Russian guitar with in the new release by Dorian Sono Luminus “Souvenirs of Russia” by the ensemble The Czar’s Guitars.

The unique guitar duo The Czar’s Guitars was founded in 2004 by the well-known lute and guitar virtuoso John Schneiderman and Oleg Timofeyev, the expert on the Russian seven-string guitar. The two musicians joined their forces to revive the legacy of the Russian guitar, the instrument that unlike its Western-European cousin is only now gaining the respect and recognition it deserves. In 2006 The Czar’s Guitars released their first CD recording, dedicated to the music of Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) in 19th-century transcriptions for two guitars.

The album is considered by the performers to be a Russian tribute to the Spanish composer Fernando Sor (1778-1839), or, even more specifically, to his famous guitar duet Souvenir de Russie (Op. 63). Much has been speculated about Sor’s time in Russia (1823-5), but the disappointing truth is that there is no recorded record of his guitar-related activities in that country. It is known that on his Russian journey he followed his wife Fèlicitè Hullen, who was appointed a prima-ballerina in Moscow. The ensemble decided to make Sor’s masterpiece the foundation of this album. They surrounded it with real Russian guitar music that would create an unusual context for Sor’s piece and would also illustrate how the Russian musical culture was organically connected to the repertoires in Western and Central Europe.

With works by Russian composers such as Vladimir Morkov, Semion Aksionov, Fernando Sor and Mikhail Glinka, this album truly brings the treasures of Russian guitar music to the listeners by performers that know it best. This is sure to be a loved by guitarists, chamber music lovers, and music collectors around the world. This recording is truly a Fabergé egg of sonic color and technical performance.