Ana Vidovic : Guitar Music 1 : CD

MORENO – TORROBA: Castillos de Espana Nos 1 – 14; Las Puertas de Madrid Nos 1 – 7; Preludio ; Vieja Leyenda; Jaranera.

Ana Vidovic

Naxos: B000REGIXW

Federico Moreno – Torroba was one of the first composers to write for the great Segovia, and like many of these composers, he could not play the guitar, but nevertheless wrote many works for the guitar, including the 24 tracks on this album by Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic.This first volume in what is a series  features the Castillos de Espana ( The Castles of Spain), which pictures the many ancient structures there,  along with Las Puertas de Madrid ( The Gates of Madrid) which this time is a set of pieces about the well – known landmarks in the place where Moreno – Torroba was born.

For music that was written by a non – player , our composer’s music is always very guitaristic, and extremely melodic .Not only that but their variety is really large, and as a result , you are never bored , especially as Ana Vidovic does a wonderful job of making these pieces sound at their absolute best.

The final three pieces begin with one of his most famous pieces, the Preludio, a lovely melodic work that many guitarists will recognise. Vieja Leyenda (Ancient Legend) the penultimate piece, is another lovely set of harmonies that fit the guitar wonderfully well, whilst the final work Jaranera, is  bright ,  very quick and a lovely dance movement that closes this album really well.

Ana Vidovic is a great player, the recording is fine, and the music portrayed in it is very listenable, and should you not know this composer’s work, I guarantee that you will find it superb to listen to.

Chris Dumigan