Search - Manuel Ponce :: Guitar Music Vol. 2

One of the best Naxos guitar CD's

Todd Montgomery | Wilmore, KY USA | 02/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ponce was well-known for writing music of great nostalgia, imitating composers of previous times, and one can easily imagine certain selections here being written by Bach, Schubert, or Tchaikovsky. While you could argue that this is simply "unoriginality" or not being up to date, Ponce writes masterfully, filling a gap of what should have been done sooner. The short Balletto has one of the most beautiful melodies in the guitar repertoire, and we have here a wonderful rendition of the guitar/harpsichord sonata, actually played on a harpsichord. While there ARE bargain CD's with less than perfect sound quality and performance quality, this recording lacks nothing. Recommended without reservation."

Good composer and good soloist

Stuart M. Paine | Arlington, VA USA | 01/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very good idea for the second disc in the NAXOS series of Ponce's guitar music - assembling a program of the "baroque" pieces and including the guitar/harpsichord things. It doesn't work very well, though, as an uninterrupted listen. Here's the issue: other than the track 12 duo version of the "Preludio" (the very same "Preludio" which opens the disc as a solo), none of the duet compositions feels particularly baroque.



I'd suggest listening to this as though it were a recital of two halves, the first being all solo and the second, all duo performances. This is surely the way the music would be presented live. Take a five minute intermission after the second suite. Then the second half of the "recital" can feel fresh and proper. Otherwise, the duet reprise of the "Preludio" seems sluggish and stiff in comparison to the earlier-presented solo, and the sudden radical change in musical language is jarring.



Mr. Holzman's performances are good. He clearly enjoys the solo suites and plays them surely and with levity. His instrument produces a deep, rich tone. (It also sounds miked from afar and there's just a little more reverb than I would prefer.) In the duets, the balance of guitar to harpsichord is weighted toward the guitar.



This is a nice CD of music which is easy to like."