Brouwer: Barrios Competition Laureate Series Vol. 2

Leo Brouwer had a promising career as a virtuoso guitarist ahead of him -- until an injury to his left hand stopped him from progressing any further. The Cuban then turned his attention to conducting and teaching, both of which would become crucial aspects of his life. Indeed, it was for the purposes of teaching that Brouwer wrote the studies that we find on this disc, although they have proved to be much more than rudimentary training tools. The first group of studies (published in 1971) showcases a vibrant creativity, with each concentrating on a particular, and sometimes neglected, area of guitar performance. This is also true of the Nuevos studios sencillos (2003), although the skills demonstrated are motivated by the characteristics of the music of different composers -- so that the composer's personal style is essentially the basis of the study, such as the arpeggios of Claude Debussy and the tremolos of Francisco Tárrega. Each of the pensive and tense Preludios epigramáticos (1981) is based on a poem by Miguel Hernández, who was executed in prison during Franco's regime. Turin-born Emanuele Buono is an internationally acclaimed performer. Among the many prestigious awards that he has received are the gold medal at the Parkening International Competition (2009), the 'Golden guitar' at the XIII Convegno Internazionale in Alessandria (2008) and first prize at the Concorso Internazionale Agustín Barrios in Nuoro (2012).