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Torroba Guitar Concertos, Vol. 2

Torroba Guitar Concertos, Vol. 2: Homage to the Seguidilla, Tonada Concertante, Concierto de Castilla—Pepe Romero & Vicente Coves, guitars; Extremadura Symphony/Manuel Coves (Naxos 573503)

The review of the April 2017 release on the website alibris.com begins: “Federico Moreno Torroba, who, among other things, ran a zarzuela company with Plácido Domingo's parents, wrote much of his guitar music for Andrés Segovia, but it has been somewhat neglected of late. Its idiom is conservative, a slot filled by the music of Rodrigo. Torroba's range is somewhat wider than Rodrigo's, but in general, you can safely look into his music if you've heard the big Rodrigo hits enough times and are interested in something new. This collection of music for guitar and orchestra, the second in a series (the first is equally good), makes a fine place to start.”  Torroba composed about one hundred works for the guitar, and is one of Spain's great 20 th composers. Homenaje a la seguidilla (Homage to the Seguidilla) pays lively tribute to that characteristically Spanish song and dance, while the Tonada concertante is in turns playful and introspective. Concierto de Castilla features a free-spirited lyricism evocative of the folklore of Castile, a vast expanse in the middle of Spain with which the composer strongly identified.  Pepe Romero is soloist in the first two works, and his gifted student, Vicente Coves, is soloist in Concierto de Castilla.  The conductor is Vicente’s brother Manuel.