[.ca] Touch Of Class

Virtuoso Guitar:
This is an excellent guitar collection; in fact, it is an excellent classical anthology, guitar or otherwise. Angel Romero and his son, Lito (heard on tracks five through seven), represent the second and third generations of a family of guitar virtuosi. A number of the selections are more commonly heard performed by piano; however, in the hands of a guitarist of the calibre of Angel Romero, what can be done on the piano can be done with at least equal efficacy on the guitar. The only non-Western piece is the variations on Sakura, which should be particularly pleasant listening experience for those not previously familiar with it. If one is building a classical music library, this is a recording that one should want to include.

"A Touch of Class" pretty much hits the nail on the head:
Angel Romero is one of three classical guitar-playing brothers, one of the others being Pepe (who is also excellent). I purchased this CD solely to get the hauntingly beautiful "Cavatina" from the movie "Deer Hunter." I've been very happy with this recording - the Cavatina is lovely, there are some "classical guitar standards," and some other pleasant surprises. I like the Variations on "Greensleeves," and variations on a Japanese folk song, "Sakura." The sound quality is typical Telarc, which I generally find to be top-notch. Aficionados of classical guitar music will especially enjoy this CD, in my opinion, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants some lovely, tranquil music to either listen to or to use as unobtrusive background music.

• Largo
• Siciliana
• Minuets 1 and 2 in G Major
• Variations on Greensleeves
• Andante from Piano Concerto No. 21
• Adagio
• Largo from "Winter"
• Theme and Variations on a Japanese Folkson "Sakura"
• Clair de Lune
• Gymnopédie No. 1
• Cavatina