{"id":6324,"date":"2017-03-07T16:19:12","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T00:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=6324"},"modified":"2017-03-08T10:18:26","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T18:18:26","slug":"recent-releases-tuesday-albums-by-meng-su-raphaella-smits-michaela-hrabankova-gabriel-bianco-and-mark-westling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/recent-releases-tuesday-albums-by-meng-su-raphaella-smits-michaela-hrabankova-gabriel-bianco-and-mark-westling\/","title":{"rendered":"Recent Releases Tuesday: Albums by Meng Su, Raphaella Smits, Michaela Hrabankova & Gabriel Bianco, and Mark Westling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s our bi-weekly listing of some of the CDs that have come into the\u00a0Classical Guitar<\/em>\u00a0office recently.<\/p>\n

If you have a CD you\u2019d like to submit to us, here\u2019s our address:<\/p>\n

Classical Guitar
\n501 Canal Blvd. suite J
\nRichmond, CA 94804-3505<\/p>\n

Some of these will be reviewed in the magazine, some not. But we want to at least mention them here. You can listen to some of these on various of streaming services, but we always encourage you to support the artists by actually\u00a0buying<\/em>\u00a0anything you like!<\/p>\n

To see our previous listings, scroll to the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u2014Blair Jackson<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Meng
\nMeng
\n<\/em><\/strong>Meng Su
\n<\/strong>Tonar Music<\/p>\n

This outstanding solo outing from one-half of the renowned Beijing Guitar Duo covers a broad spectrum, with a pair of moody pieces by film composer John Williams (Avner’s Theme, from ‘Munich<\/em>‘ opens the CD; closing it is a work Williams wrote for the Parkening Guitar Competition); Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s splendid, five-part Sonata “Omaggio a \u00a0Boccherini<\/em>“; a sparkling and evocative rendering of Bach’s popular Lute Suite No. 4<\/em>; a pair of short T\u00e1rrega pieces; and in a more modern vein, William Walton’s intriguing\u00a0Five Bagatelles<\/em>. The playing by this still-rising star is faultless throughout.<\/p>\n

Avner\u2019s Theme, from \u2018Munich\u2019<\/em> (Williams); Sonata \u2018Omaggio a Boccherini,\u201d Op. 77<\/em> (Castelnuovo-Tedesco); Gran Vals<\/em> (T\u00e1rrega); Rosita<\/em> (T\u00e1rrega); Lute Suite No. 4 in E Major, BWV 1006a<\/em> (Bach); Five Bagatelles<\/em> (Walton); Rounds<\/em> (Williams)<\/p>\n

Listen to samples and\/or purchase CDs or MP3s through Tonar Music<\/a>, CDBaby<\/a>, or Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nGuitar Recital
\n<\/em><\/strong>Raphaella Smits
\n<\/strong>Soundset Recordings<\/p>\n

When I finally saw Raphaella Smits perform at GFA last summer, her skill and passion were very much on display throughout her program, so I should not be surprised \u00a0that this latest recorded offering is also a rich and deeply felt “recital.” Just three composers are represented: Manuel Maria Ponce (four of the five movements of his gorgeous homage to Weiss, written for Segovia, with its deep, affecting “Sarabande” and spry, memorable “Gigue”); Barrios\u00a0(two preludes and the beautifully wistful\u00a0Leyenda Guarani<\/em>); and Mompou (his tonally variegated 1962 Suite Compostelana<\/em>, which seems to be quite popular among players these days). Everything about this project is completely top-notch; the recording of the late luthier John Gilbert’s 1980 8-string guitar is spectacular!<\/p>\n

Suite en la meno: Homage to S.L. Weiss<\/em> (Ponce); Preludio en la menor<\/em>, Preludio en do menor<\/em>, Leyenda Guarani<\/em> (all by Barrios); Suite Compostelana<\/em> (Mompou)<\/p>\n

Purchase through Soundset<\/a>; U.S distribution coming soon. All tracks can be heard on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here’s a recent video of Smits playing Barrios’\u00a0<\/em>Leyenda Guarani:<\/em>
\n