A phrase from Francisco Tárrega's Gran vals, a piece by one of the composers on this album, became internationally famous as the Nokia ringtone, heard an estimated 1.8 billion times daily in 2009.
Performer Biography
Krzysztof Meisinger, the guitarist on this album, is considered one of the twenty greatest classical guitarists of all time by the British portal uDiscoverMusic.
Interpretation
The composer Carlo Domeniconi stated that the printed score of Koyunbaba is merely a sketch, encouraging performers like Krzysztof Meisinger to improvise within the work.
Compositional Technique
Carlo Domeniconi's Koyunbaba, a suite for guitar, requires players to retune the guitar strings (scordatura) to a C sharp for the lowest note, creating a surprising depth and resonance.
Composition History
Federico Mompou's Suite compostelana, his only major work for guitar, was inspired by the region of Galicia and Santiago de Compostela, where he taught for fourteen years at Andrés Segovia's 'Música en Compostela' summer course.
Composer Biography
Isaac Albéniz, a composer featured on this album, was a virtuoso pianist who also played guitar and accompanied himself on traditional songs, but never composed music specifically for the guitar.
Composition History
The 'Asturias' piece by Isaac Albéniz, originally titled 'Prélude', only acquired its geographically confusing title after the composer's death.
