Sor: Introduction & Allegro (Grand Solo) Op. 14

Neil Smith, one of Britain's finest classical guitarists, performs Spanish Guitar classics by Gaspar Sanz, Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados.

Neil Smith has given concerts in over 40 nations making over two thousand appearances in total. He has toured under some of the finest conductors including the late Sir Alexander Gibson and Sir Simon Rattle and the finest orchestras including the RSNO, RLPO, CBSO, BBC Ulster, City of London Sinfonia, the English String Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. His debut in the USA received a standing ovation and led to several return trips, coast to coast. Recent tours have included Japan, Arabia, Russia, Scandinavia, Holland, Portugal and Spain where he has also given masterclasses, a rare honour for an Englishman.

The French-born guitarist Roland Dyens began studying his instrument at the age of nine. By age 33, he was listed as one of the world’s best by The Guitarist Magazine. Dyens is currently a professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Known also as a brilliant arranger, Dyens has chosen some of the most memorable guitar repertoire by late 18th and early 19th - century composers and arranged it for solo guitar and string quartet, specifically the Quatuor Arthur LeBlanc: seven études by the 19th century Catalan composer Fernando Sor; and one of the six Rossiniana composed by Mauro Giuliani on themes from Rossini operas. Dyens also performs Giuliani’s Variations on a Theme by Handel and Sor’s Grand Solo, opus 14 for solo guitar.

The Quatuor Arthur-LeBlanc, composed of violinists Hibiki Kobayashi and Brett Molzan, violist Jean-Luc Plourde, and cellist Ryan Molzan, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s finest string ensembles. The group recently made its debut at Carnegie Hall. In September 2005, the QAL assumed the role of quartet-in-residence at the Université Laval in Quebec City.

Featuring the early recordings of the legendary Cuban-American guitarist, Jose Rey de la Torre. This release comprises Rey's first three long-playing recordings (1945-1950) in their entirety, along with Andres Segovia's complete rare 1955 Decca issue "Masters of the Guitar". All of the performances are devoted to the works of Fernando Sor and Francisco Tarrega, the two seminal figures in the development of the modern classical guitar. These recordings allow listeners a clear contrast between the two dominant traditions of classical guitar performance in the twentieth century - one line descending directly from Tarrega, the other from Segovia. Also included is a DVD of extremely rare television appearances made in 1957 and 1962 by Rey de la Torre.