Search - Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Prague Chamber Orchestra :: Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco: Guitar Concertos

Suberb Quality

P. Kingsriter | Lakeville, MN United States | 06/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Driving home last week, I heard Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in D major, Op.99" and had to pull over to make sure I wrote it all down right. It is a wonderful piece of work, expressive, witty, and passionate. It was written in 1939, and is somewhat reminiscent of some great movie scores of the time. The liner notes detail how Castelnuovo-Tedesco met Andres Segovia (arguably the greatest classical guitarist in history) and wrote this piece "meeting the demands of Segovia's virtuoso art". Segovia turned out to be the first performer of each of these works!A wonderful thing about these particular pieces is I believe they will challenge seasoned classical music afficionados yet will be easily accessable and not feel too technical (aka "snooty") for those less experienced. Milan Zelenka's understated performance is more than capable and the Prague Chamber Orchestra is keen. Special kudos go to the sound technicians, as this may be one of the most sharp and crisp recordings in my classical collection. It would make a worthy addition to any classical or acoustic guitar library."