“I can only applaud the efforts of Smaro Gregoriadou and her quest to reshape the way we look at, and listen to the guitar. – Brian Wigman, in Classical Net

The above quote is typical of critical response, not only to Greek guitar virtuoso and composer Smaro Gregoriadou’s amazing playing, but to her unique (and pioneering) applied research into different instrument designs, tunings and performance techniques – both historic and modern. Her previous two albums for Delos – Reinventing Guitar, volumes 1 and 2 – won plaudits from reviewers the world over, and expanded performing and stylistic horizons for guitarists and everywhere.

While her two previous Delos releases concentrate largely on Baroque-era music, this one sticks to music of particular appeal from the past century, as well as forays into the new millennium – using a number of different guitars that she has helped to develop. While this release’s pieces are mostly for solo guitar, the program includes Smaro’s own arresting composition, El Aleph, for guitar ensemble

– played here by the German group, Open Source Guitars. Other composers honored are Fernande Peyrot, Agustin Barrios, Manuel Ponce, Hans Werner Henze, Sean Hickey, René Eespere and Štěpán Rak.

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Track Listing

    Fernande Peyrot: Préludes pour Guitare

  1. I. Larghetto
  2. II. Moderato
  3. III. Scherzando vivace
  4. IV. Vivo con fuoco – più lento cantando – Tempo I
  5. Agustin Barrios:

  6. Prelude in C Minor
  7. Las Abejas
  8. Aire de Zamba
  9. Danza Paraguaya No. 1
  10. Manuel Ponce:

  11. Thème, Varié et Finale
  12. Hans Werner Henze: Drei Tentos

  13. I. Du, schönes Bächlein
  14. II. Es findet das Aug oft
  15. III. Sohn Laios
  16. Nikita Koshkin:

  17. Toccata
  18. Sean Hickey:

  19. Tango Grotesco
  20. René Eespere:

  21. Tactus Spiritus
  22. Štěpán Rak:

  23. Temptation of the Renaissance
  24. Smaro Gregoriadou: El Aleph after Jorge Luis Borges (for guitar ensemble)

  25. I. Prism
  26. II. Cantus
  27. III. Yo, no…