Pacifica Quartet, Sharon Isbin - Souvenirs of Spain & Italy (2019) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Guitar Quintet, Op. 143: I. Allegro, vivo e schietto
02. Guitar Quintet, Op. 143: II. Andante mesto
03. Guitar Quintet, Op. 143: III. Scherzo. Allegro con spirito, alla marcia
04. Guitar Quintet, Op. 143: IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco
05. Chamber Concerto in D Major, RV 93 (Arr. E. Pujol for Guitar & String Quartet): I. Allegro
06. Chamber Concerto in D Major, RV 93 (Arr. E. Pujol for Guitar & String Quartet): II. Largo
07. Chamber Concerto in D Major, RV 93 (Arr. E. Pujol for Guitar & String Quartet): III. Allegro
08. La oración del torero, Op. 34 (Version for String Quartet)
09. Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D Major, G. 448: I. Pastorale (After G. 270)
10. Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D Major, G. 448: II. Allegro maestoso (After G. 270)
11. Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D Major, G. 448: III. Grave assai-IV. Fandango (After G. 341)

Guitarist Sharon Isbin was arguably the instrument's preeminent star in the 1980s and 1990s, a golden age for classical guitar music generally. New charismatic players have come along since then, but Isbin's playing remains a rare pleasure. Catch her if you can! An example is this 2019 release on Chicago's Cedille label, which features mostly well-worn pieces for guitar and ensemble; the ensemble here is the Pacifica String Quartet. The most familiar of all is the Vivaldi Guitar Concerto in D major, RV 93, heard here in an arrangement by Emilio Pujol and tinkered with by Isbin herself. Isbin applies a good deal of ornamentation to Vivaldi's bare lines, which is usually inadvisable for non-Baroque specialists. But Isbin's execution here is flawless, and the effect is haunting (sample the slow movement). The rest of the program is Spanish. The little-heard Quintet for guitar and string quartet of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco is a sparkling piece of neoclassicism, played to the hilt by Isbin, and the Quintet for guitar and string quartet, G. 448, of Boccherini, complete with castanets and a tambourine, has the requisite expansiveness and the touch differentiating Boccherini's music from Haydn, Mozart, and other central European models. If there's a complaint it's the cavernous collegiate auditorium sound from Cedille, and perhaps that the Pacifica players aren't quite in Isbin's league. But this is a treat for fans of Isbin, who's doing more teaching than recording these days.

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