Albéniz: Sevilla (from Suite Española, Op. 47)

Jascha Heifetz has been described as the ‘greatest twentieth-century exponent of his instrument’ (Gramophone). Critics admired his technical agility and the myriad nuances of his playing, qualities that made him one of the most iconic violinists of his era. This set includes a selection of concertos and sonatas that showcase Heifetz’s versatility and his extraordinary ability to capture the particular character of each piece in his repertoire.

Classical Music doesn’t get much more exciting than this! With the help of wonderful music (some familiar, some new) this collection encourages children to experience the fantastic array of world music styles and colourful portrayals of foreign lands in Classical Music. Featuring music from Debussy, Johann Strauss II, Copland and many others this selection will have kids thrilled with recreations of the American Wild West, learning the Jamaican Rumba, waltzing in Vienna and exploring the Steppes of Central Asia!

A fully illustrated 44 page booklet presents an adventure-filled journey around the world challenging the reader to listen, see and recreate the wonders of the countries they visit. The text is designed to be read either by an older child of 5 or 6 or with an adult for the younger children. The writer is Sarah Breeden noted for the fun and informative programmes she has written for the BBC Children’s Proms.

‘The music on this CD reflects my character. It tells the listener who I am.’ Miloš Karadaglić

Charismatic guitarist Miloš Karadaglić debuts on Deutsche Grammophon with an album saluting his instrument’s Mediterranean heritage. Born in the Balkan state of Montenegro, Miloš’s love-affair with the guitar began when he was eight, when his father played him a recording of Segovia making magic with Albeniz’s ‘Asturias’. Miloš gave his first public performance at nine, entered (and won) his first national competition at eleven. He became a star performer on television and radio, took guitar master-classes in Belgrade, and then, shortly after the end of the Balkan war, decided to try for a scholarship at London’s Royal Academy of Muisic.

Miloš’s choices of solo repertoire as well as music for guitar and orchestra are guaranteed to appeal to all lovers of guitar, classical and non-classical alike.

“He punched through this trio of ballads (El Decamerón Negro) with an innate poise and elegance that made you sit up and listen . . . And then the firecracker: A superbly inflected, impeccably judged rendition of Ginastera’s Sonata − a giant tapestry of sound combining luminous melancholy and bravura energy” (The Times)

Bonus DVD

The DVD features a 30min documentary with footage filmed in Montenegro and London. The film brings Miloš’s inspirational story to light, an evocative and beautifully photographed piece that explores his background and how he came to be who he is today. It will showcase Miloš’s talent, his style of play and unique approach to classical guitar and his desire to redefine it as a contemporary instrument. Miloš wants to make classical guitar matter; he wants us to fall in love with its beauty and raw passion and bring new audiences to its repertoire.

The film will not just focus on Miloš the guitarist, but also the person behind the guitar. This will build a bridge between the human story and music, giving the viewer an opportunity to get to know a young man from Montenegro and how each stage of his life has contributed to bringing him to this point.

2CDs for price of 1

This comprehensive collection includes works for two guitars, solo guitar, flute and guitar and violin and guitar.

Supremely talented guitarist Xuefei Yang’s second disc for EMI Classics, 40 Degrees North, comprises guitar music from Spain and China.

Xuefei Yang was not only the first guitarist in China to enter music school and later to graduate from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with a Bachelor of Arts degree, but she was also the first Chinese guitarist to study classical guitar in the West.

The disc is so titled because the capital cities of both countries lie near latitude 40 degrees north. As Yang says: “To me, this parallel has come to symbolize the connection I feel to the music of both countries.”

The Spanish repertoire includes original solo guitar compositions (such as Tárrega’s Carnival of Venice) as well as arrangements of pieces written for piano or two guitars (Albéniz’s Seguidillas). Many of these works appear in new arrangements by Yang herself.

Since China has no established guitar repertoire of its own, the Chinese pieces on this recording originate either from arrangements of traditional Chinese pieces (including two traditional Chinese folk songs arranged for guitar by Gerald Garcia), or new compositions based on Chinese themes (such as Welsh composer Stephen Goss’s Chinese Garden, written especially for Yang).

Also included on this recording is Butterfly Lovers, originally written as a violin concerto using Western orchestral instruments and arguably the best known piece of Chinese music.

Rovshan Mamedkuliev was first prize-winner at the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America Competition in 2012, and now stands as one of the world’s most exciting young instrumentalists. He has constructed a programme with several themes. Iberian music is represented by Falla, Albéniz and Turina, and by two of the titans of guitar playing, Miguel Llobet and Francisco Tárrega. He also includes music by his Azerbaijani compatriot, Fikret Amirov, whose folkloric-influenced music is another thematic link. The kaleidoscopic Just How Funky Are You by Andrew York and Leo Brouwer’s An Idea explore the guitar’s contemporary vitality. This recital disc demonstrates a number of facets at Mahmedkuliev’s disposal. He celebrates the Spanish lineage of the instrument with some canonic pieces, but also appeals more widely via contemporary music and by promoting the music of his compatriot. This disc will appeal both to admirers of this exciting new guitarist and to his repertoire choices.