Music for Two Guitars, Vol. 1 (Incls 'Sonatina canonica, Op. 196')

"Italian composer Castelnuovo-Tedesco was introduced to Andres Segovia in 1932 and as a result ended up composing over one hundred works for the guitar, of which his WT two guitars is one of his masterpieces. Inspired by Bach's WTC, the composer organized his own preludes and fugues using major and minor keys in a cycle of rising fifths. He also wrote the work as a sort of diary recording his moods and attitudes during this time. Having the two guitars offers some of the same control of the different melodic lines as Bach had on the double-manual harpsichord. The Sonatina Canonica shares with the WT Guitars an emphasis on counterpoint. The three contrasting movements have lyrical as well as humorous passages. Sonics are first rate, and the interplay of the two guitars is a delight if you are situated properly between your speakers or listening on headphones."
(AudAud.com five stars)

With a catalogue of more than 200 works with opus numbers, and many others without, few composers have written such a wide variety of immediately appealing music, as rewarding for performers and listeners alike, as Castelnuovo-Tedesco. His Sonatina Canonica, Op. 196 is a staple for many guitar duos, its warm tonal language enlivened by ingenious counterpoint. Fired by profound admiration for the music of J. S. Bach, his Les Guitares Bien Tempérées, Op. 199 comprises 24 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys, the first dozen of which are performed here by the award-winning young Brasil Guitar Duo.