It's easy to identify the classical guitar with Spanish repertoire. After all, AndrÃ©s Segovia, who revived the fortunes of the instrument in the early decades of the 20th century after long neglect, was a Spaniard. This does not do justice, however, to the major contribution made to 20th-century guitar repertoire by a number of national schools, among which the United Kingdom's is particularly outstanding for the quantity and quality of the pieces. This album offers a significant sample of music for solo guitar by four important composers: Cyril Scott, Lennox Berkeley, Benjamin Britten and William Walton. Despite being relatively unfamiliar to the wider public, the figure of Cyril Scott (1879-1970) is one of real interest. Though it was written in 1927, Scott's Sonatina has only entered the repertoire of today's guitarists in recent years. It's solid compositional mastery gives rise to a beauty at once enigmatic and captivating. Lennox Berkeley's (1903-1989) compositions for the guitar span almost half a century and are a faithful record of his stylistic evolution. Berkeley's 4 PiÃ¨ces pour la guitare is a sparkling collection in spirit very close to the style of composers such as Albert Roussel and Francis Poulenc. The Nocturnal after John Dowland Op.70 (1963) by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) is also a theme and variations, but rather than present the theme and develop it with variations, Britten inverts the form, revealing the theme only at the very end of the piece after it is gradually unveiled in fragments of a musical mosaic cleverly scattered across the preceding variations. The irreverent japes of William Walton's (1902-1983) FaÃ§ade for speaker and instrumental sextet, which in 1922/3 marked the composer's debut as an enfant terrible, soon gave way to a late-Romantic style closer to Bax and Vaughan Williams.

Tracklist:

Quatre Pièces Pour La Guitare: I. Moderato Ma Con Brio
Quatre Pièces Pour La Guitare: II. Andante Con Moto
Quatre Pièces Pour La Guitare: III. Lento
Quatre Pièces Pour La Guitare: IV. Allegro, Energico
Sonatina For Guitar: I. Adagio, Quasi Introduzione - Molto Moderato
Sonatina For Guitar: II. Allegretto Pensoso
Sonatina For Guitar: III. Finale. Allegro
Sonatina For Guitar, Op. 52/1: I. Allegretto
Sonatina For Guitar, Op. 52/1: II. Lento
Sonatina For Guitar, Op. 52/1: III. Rondo. Allegro Non Troppo
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: I. Musingly
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: II. Very Agitated
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: III. Restless
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: IV. Uneasy
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: V. March-Like
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: VI. Dreaming
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: VII. Gently Rocking
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: VIII. Passacaglia
Nocturnal After John Dowland For Guitar, Op. 70: Slow And Quiet
Theme And Variations For Guitar, Op. 77: I. Theme. Moderato
Theme And Variations For Guitar, Op. 77: II. Variazione I. Allegro
Theme And Variations For Guitar, Op. 77: III. Variazione II. Allegretto
Theme And Variations For Guitar, Op. 77: IV. Variazione III. Lento
Theme And Variations For Guitar, Op. 77: V. Variazione IV. Andante
Theme And Variations For Guitar, Op. 77: VI. Variazione V. Allegro
Theme And Variations For Guitar, Op. 77: VII. Variazione VI. (Epilogue). Lento
5 Bagatelles For Guitar: I. Allegro
5 Bagatelles For Guitar: II. Lento
5 Bagatelles For Guitar: III. Alla Cubana
5 Bagatelles For Guitar: IV. -
5 Bagatelles For Guitar: V. Con Slancio

UPC: 5028421959375
Label: Brilliant Classics
Release Date: 4.23.21
Format: CD

Berkeley / Dieci - English Guitar Music (CD)