Music of Giuliani

David Russell is an amazing guitarist who does the entire repertoire of "classical guitar" as well as it's done by anyone, but no one else does the entire spectrum as well. His technique is unbelievable, and yet he never uses it to make the music about himself. It's especially unusual to see a single guitarist perform the Spanish literature, the Baroque literature, and that of Latin America at such a level that pushes up against perfection so closely in execution, interpretation, and expression. He has become one of a very few guitarists whose work I insist on having in its entirety, the others being John Williams and Christopher Parkening in the classical discipline, and Sabicas and Escudero in flamenco.

Giuliani, like Paganini, drowned his best works in a plethora of merely competent pieces. Their muse was limited, but their best works stand comparison with the finest productions of the period. Giulianis sonata is a rare and exquisitely blending of the chord-based thematic style of Beethoven, and the Italianate guitar-orientated melodicism of Rossini. The only reason that it is not a famous sonata is that it is a guitar sonata - which is, suo generis, deemed to be second-class material.Being written by Rossini, the material in the Rossiniane does not really suffer any second-class status. The guitar canon is littered with diverse potpourris and sets of often predictable variations on opera arias, and rarely offers works of this quality. The reason for their distinction, is that it was Rossinini himself who approached Giuliani with the material which he had chosen personally for realisation on the guitar. The result is a serial of six mini-operas of about fifteen minutes length. The variations on Desdomonas 'Willow' aria in Rossiniana number 1 is clearly typical Giuliani: the theme is played out in variations featuring extemporisations of two-, three-, and finally four-note groups. This is the same pattern which is found in the last movement of his little Sonatina in C major , the Variations on a theme of Handel, and the vocal line of the concert aria version of Rossini's 'Di tanti palpiti' from the opera Tancredi. Otherwise, the themes in these extended solos are mostly undiluted renderings from the pen of the great opera master. Rossini was lauded as the greatest and most influential composer of his day, and was certainly much more than a scribbler of light comedies (as posterity stamped him for over a century after his death).David Russel is probably the best Scottish guitarist to date - and he has some stiff competition for the title, not least the Brahms guitar player Paul Galbraith. For several decades, Russel has been at the top of his game and is celebrated for his excellent interpretations of music from Handel and Scarlatti to the Venezuelan Antonio Lauro. Like many guitarists, Russel plays this repertoire with poise and insightful charm, but also with an infusion of his personal and characteristic touch which adds life and forward motion. We may miss a little Romantic operatic passion, but chamber music in the early eighteen hundreds was generally late in developing when compared to songs and symphonies. For camparison, check out Olav Bar's readings of lieder of the period by Weber, Spohr, Giuliani and Schubert (mostly original guitar songs - despite the 'arranged' stamp on the Schubert!) which is released on the Musicaphon label.This Giuliani album can be most warmly recommended, particularly for the opportunity to hear a true master interpret the boundless expressive range of Rossinis melodicism. A scoop at any price!

The greatest guitarist of our time breathes new life into the music of the greatest guitarist of his time. These pieces are so accessible and guitaristic that most have been well-performed and recorded for decades. David Russell's scholarship and interpretive soul distinguish these performances without any need to reference his superhuman technique. More reference recordings from David Russell.

I admit that I am a David Russel fan. I find his performances engaging and tastefully performed. I am not a big fan of people who re-write the composer's pieces. I am not saying that a bit of vibrato or some other relatively minor technique change that was not originally written is forbidden, just don't try to make changes that substantially change the feel of a piece.It is that ethos plus superb technique that drives this rating.

What can I say? Every classical guitarist knows and appreciates Giuliani! David does a fine job of sticking to the music without adding a lot of his own personal interpretations, as many guitarists do. The most common pieces are here, with one or two I was not that familiar with. Good CD.

I heard this on my way to a wedding 2009 and feel in love. I was headed for the Tampa area and could not get out of the car when I reached my destination. I had to listen and wait to hear the title and the composer etc. I immediately called thwe station to find out the othe r info and scored when I google it and found the cd. Pure joy in the ears.

his has become one of my favorites.Love it.

Giuliani's music is original and fresh, despite the fact that it comes from the Classical Era of music. As a guitar virtuoso, Giuliani knew how to take full advandtage of the strengths of the guitar. David Russell's performance is excellent.

I've discovered (sadly) that I'm not really a fan of Giuliani. I've listened to it a number of times now, but (for me) it doesn't get any better

a rare and beautiful work by david russell, who manage to dominate Giuliani's music too.

David Russell's versatility continues to amaze me. Whether he's performing the works of John Dowland, Augustin Barrios, or in this case, Mauro Giuliani, Russell delves deeply into the music and extracts the flavour of each compositional style, which he then treats with his customary virtuosity. This CD is a worthy testament to Russell's skills and, of course, Giuliani's contribution to the guitar canon. While my particular favourite is the Rossiniane opus 121, No. 3, I consider the entire CD to be an excellent purchase.

An excellent recording of some virtuoso pieces by Giuliani, beautifully interpretted by David Russell. A must for any classical guitar fans