Gonzalo Noqué

“[…] ce disque dessine avece tendresse le portrait du Brésil de Villa-Lobos et plonge au coeur de paysages lointains […]”

“Gaëlle Solal enthousiasme aussi bien par l’originalité des arrangements que par la qualité du jeu dont le moins qu’on puisse dire est qu’il communique sa passion pour ces musiques. Une manière aussi bien racée que policée que met en valeur l’immédiateté de l’instrument tel que saisi dans l’ambiance flatteuse de l’Auditorio San Francisco d’Ávila.”

“[…]this SACD is one of the greatest recordings devoted to the classical guitar of the past ten years. All here is perfect balance, virtuosity full of emotion, tangibly breathtaking musicality, in a sound recording that is detailed and precise to perfection in pure DSD.”

“Bien éloigné de l’image caricaturale que la musique brésilienne pourrait faire imaginer à des oreilles européennes, c’est avec finesse et intelligence qu’elle intègre dans son jeu de guitariste classique, le son rythmique si caractéristique de la guitare brésilienne, élargissant par cette influence la dynamique et les couleurs de ses interprétations pleines de vie et d’authenticité.”

“It’s clearly obvious that guitarist Gaëlle Solal is well aware that good musicianship entails more than simply plucking strings on a guitar. Her playing is characterized by a constant and organic expressive undercurrent which indicates that an insightful human being is behind the instrument.”

Gaëlle Solal’s inspired performances are virtuoso but also very sensitive, rich in contrast, and give the works a new look.

My first listening session turned out to be an hour of sheer enjoyment. I find her playing sensibly reflective.[…]I do not doubt that many classical guitar fans will be very pleased with this release and many others quite possibly as well.

“Colom nos lleva a unos terrenos expresivos que parecen surgir de años de madurez y estudio. Más que una exhibición virtuosística, asistimos a una profunda lectura. El silencio al final de la audición de este disco magistral es sugerente, denso y sobrecogedor. Como lo son aquellos que surgen con discos de los de verdad. De …

“Un pianismo muy fresco y moderno el suyo. Un disco valioso, que ofrece lo antiguo y lo moderno en las mejores condiciones. Muy buena grabación.”

“[…]Colom performs wonders with the pianissimo passages, coaxing out serene contemplation simultaneously with the demand for alertness to whispered messages. […]the dynamics are terrific throughout from the loudest clatter to a hushed almost cathedral conciliation at the end. […]In short, Colom’s Liszt is a triumph. Eudora has delivered another superb disc which should find a …

“Josep Colom displays a deep and strong conviction throughout this course which contains its share of shadows and lights […]. […] Josep Colom assumes the fullness of the sound of his Steinway with noble phrasing, an expression that combines a desire for meditation like an immersion in fiery, vehemence and l ‘intensity.”

“73-year-old Spanish pianist Josep Colom has confided his mature view of the two B minor sonatas by Chopin and Liszt to the microphones. […]Nothing seems artificial, nothing is researched in a musical flow that the listener follows spellbound. […]Colom takes us into such a gripping atmosphere. Only a few artists succeed in preserving this authenticity. …

“Spanish pianist Josep Colom opts for melodic definition, harmonic clarity, and most of all a clearly expressed musical narrative. He underlines the poetic nature of the Chopin, and the symphonic breadth of the Liszt, with a solid yet understated technique which avoids speed simply for the sake of velocity. […]All of which is faithfully captured …

“Colom hace una lectura refinada, idiomática, llena de intensidad expresiva, pero bien equilibrada. […]Hay dramatismo y temperamento, pero sobresale especialmente en una seductora calidez, claridad de texturas, trabajo de voces interiores, así como en un rubato nada excesivo. […]Hay en esta lectura una profunda comprensión musical, con dosis de drama, grandeza, convicción, músculo y poesía.”

“With Colom one isn’t even aware of such hurdles. He doesn’t seek to impress for the sake of it. […] Colom shows maturity and luminous vision. He clearly feels that he doesn’t have to prove anything. […] Of both Sonatas, Josep Colom brings well-considered, personal views in the ring […].”

“Su interpretación resalta la poética, con una lectura sensible, cuidadosa en cada detalle […]. La primorosa toma de sonido completa un disco […] que es un maridaje plenamente satisfactorio.”

“Rodiles es capaz de captar y traducir con esmerado trazo toda la frescura y el encanto melódicos de una sucesión de danzas como es Papillons op. 2 de Schumann, el universo expresivo de las sinceras y emotivas Lieder ohne Worte (Canciones sin palabras) op. 30 de Mendelssohn y la sencillez mozartiana del Adagio en sol …

“Hay una compleja red de trabajo duro y pasión ardiente en este efecto mariposa, en este desplegar las alas para lograr el viento, acaso la tempestad. Noelia Rodiles es una pianista virtuosa que ha alcanzado su primera madurez.[…] Por el momento, es pasmoso este recital en el que todos dialogan.[…] Como todo buen CD, permite …

“La pianista Noelia Rodiles comparte del mismo modo en su interpretación algunas de las cualidades que le permiten ser distinguida como una de las mejores músicos y pianistas de la actualidad, destacando de forma permanente tanto una profunda sensibilidad como un exquisito cuidado en el tratamiento de todas las sonoridades, las texturas y los planos …

“Rodiles es una artista de sensibilidad contrastada, sutil, de toque etéreo pero seguro, que logra insuflar personalidad sin amaneramiento a las obras románticas del álbum y, sobre todo, demuestra una singular afinidad con el repertorio contemporáneo, haciéndolo cercano y emotivo.”

“It is clear that Noelia is a competent pianist, having an idiomatic and distinct sensitivity for Old and New, with light and technically mature toucher, quite apt for the works she has commissioned.[…] The icing on the cake comes from Gonzalo Noqué, the producer that has engineered so many exquisite recordings, using the latest techniques …

“Accomplished and colourful [performances]. […] The opening figure finds Iturriagagoitia in full ecstatic Strauss mode, while Bagaría brings a pleasing touch of richness to the piano part here.”

“[…] In all these pieces Rodiles evokes a fantasy world that also means a deeply layered tribute to her homeland […] Two more important things: the formidable recording and the piano tuned to the tiniest detail.”

Grabado en la Sala Mozart del Auditorio de Zaragoza a finales de año pasado, el cd muestra una acústica natural y un buen equilibrio entre ambos instrumentos. […] Bagaría nos aporta una variadísima paleta de colores y contrastes, junto a un violinista muy expresivo. El dúo consigue aflorar toda la carga épica, apasionada y casi …

El violinista Aitzol Iturriagagoitia y el pianista Enrique Bagaría se han juntado para abordar tres grandes sonatas […]. El disco […] es rotundo y elegante […].

Una propuesta innovadora y fresca, una interpretación brillante, un placer sin paliativos. Uno acaba de escuchar la última Sonata y se pregunta: ¿hay algo más que decir? Definitivamente, no.

“La interpretación comprende esta esencia mediante una equilibrada conjunción camerística, destacando la luminosidad del timbre de un piano adecuado a un violín que alterna una conmovedora gama de colores desde lo sentimental hasta lo contemplativo. […] El inconmensurable despliegue de demandas técnicas y recursos idiomáticos se encuentra abordado de forma magistral […]. Una verdadera referencia …

Spanish violinist Aitzol Iturriagagoitia enhances the diverse nature of these three disparate works, not only by capturing their highly individual character, but also by applying his own array of tones and colours to certain passages, stressing either the inherent gypsy elements of one or the highly aesthetic confidence of another. Pianist Enrique Bagaria consistently provides …

“This long speech is rich with emotions with a magnificent technique. Beethoven is rediscovered through Josep Colom. The sound […] is simply beautiful and no note comes crashing to your ear as is sometimes heared on piano recordings.”

The performances of these three works by Aitzol Iturriagagoitia on the violin and Enrique Bagaria on the piano, is of exemplary rigor, with the proper breath, committed and fervent.

What a mastery, what a compelling violinist Aitzol is […]. An enlightening performance, revealing the depths of the true meaning as expressed by the composer […]. Aitzol can proudly stand up with great personal satisfaction to a few of the best accounts around, displaying a large degree of understanding of the different moods between anxiety, …

La comprensión musical y el asentamiento de las ideas musicales, casado de una deslumbrante dominación de la técnica del instrumento, derivan en lo que Animacorde plasma sobre la madera: un bello lenguaje que habla unificado. Es asombroso cómo la guitarra baila con el violín, perfectamente diferenciadas sus voces, magistralmente unidas, desinteresadamente conversando, un claro ejemplo …

[…] the Spanish duo shows flawless performance […]. The Spanish label Eudora has ensured a flawless recording that fully emphasizes the acoustic qualities of both instruments in both stereo and surround.

La versión que aquí escuchamos no deja indiferente a nadie. […] Nos encontramos ante una reinterpretación de estas obras cumbre de la literatura pianística en las que Colom muestra una gran sensibilidad artística.

[…] La calidez de su sonido permite una visión más lírica y poética, de colores matizados […] y sobresale en los momentos más introspectivos, donde se convierte en un verdadero alquimista del sonido. […] la Arietta con que cierra el disco es realmente sublime. […] Se trata de un disco que refuerza la posición del …

The programme is plentiful in length and variation. […]Both players were using the acoustic for shaping their tonal output, much like the practise of opera singers interacting with their auditoria. Very good chamber music players do the same when the acoustics allow it. […] This is an attractive programme in an acoustic which makes you …

Once again, I was amazed to discover talent I wasn’t aware of. […] The music they play on this Super Audio debut disc is a varied summary of their repertoire, covering compositions from Paganini’s Sonata Concertata MS 2 to Ibert’s short Entr’acte, the most recent composition of their survey, which will appeal to all lovers …

Exhibe una brillantez de matices, colores y contrastes tan fieles al juego antagónico y de ruptura perpetua que persiguió Beethoven al final de su vida y convierten esta nueva entrega suya en una aportación fundamental.

[…] demuestran un gran dominio de su instrumento y una habilidad extraordinaria para expresar las emociones contenidas en cada pieza. el resultado es una grabación excelente, con un sonido suave y equilibrado y con un alto nivel técnico y musical que convierte a 19th Century Guitar Duos en una joya que no solo atrapará a …

Herminia Navarro and Pablo Rioja play this music with enormous delicacy, attentiveness and with respect. Very beautiful![…] Luis Briso de Montiano has written the knowledgeable sleeve-notes; The SACD surround technique guarantees the highest technical standard[…]

This is beautiful music of the best kind, performed at its best by this guitar duo. Interesting not only for the guitar enthusiast thanks to a gem of recording.

[Brotons’ concerto] has unusual amounts of melodic emotion and interwoven complex thematic textures. […] Played so powerfully by soloist and orchestra, I am amazed that Brotons’ works are not extensively available on recordings. […] Despite hearing dozens of Tchaikovsky String Serenades in concerts and recordings, I felt that I was hearing it anew, with the …

Even in the tightly lined fugue of op. 110 [Colom] brings another number of special aspects of his imaginative approach into play. It may sound strange, but it is as if the composer himself took a seat behind the grand piano and breathed new life into his music; Colom’s playing is so suggestive.[…] The great …

En el Presto agitato con el que concluye la sonata, Valderrama y del Valle tocan con decisión y arrojo, aportando el toque dramático necesario en algunos momentos así como un gran lirismo en otros.[…] en la versión que escuchamos se percibe un cuidado y profundo trabajo intelectual de cada uno de los movimientos.

The inclusion of two rarely heard miniatures by these two composers as well as an absolutely first-rate recording quality, should make this release a most attractive proposition even in the crowded market of Brahms and Franck violin sonatas.[…] What Valderrama and Valle bring to this is a certain fiery intensity which underlines the music’s surprising …

Valderrama es un violín esencialmente lírico, de una timbración rica que se ilumina en el agudo y se profundiza en el grave. Su musicalidad es impecable[…] Del valle lo hace con señorío y limpieza, hasta con mimo en la timbración como si las cuerdas de su piano fueran también las del violín de su compañera. …

These two gifted Spanish musicians feel completely at home in this repertoire and know how to touch the listener.[…]There are many beautiful autumn colors to admire, but also a very lively lyricism in addition to the settled spirituality in the middle parts.”

Gallén […] viene a regalarnos uno de los discos de este año. Grabar un repertorio así, conocidísimo, […] podría no parecer la mejor idea, pero cuando cada cosa que se va haciendo sitúa el ápice de la interpretación un punto por encima de lo ya hecho, el juicio cambia, y que haga lo que quiera. …

[…] Ricardo siempre ha tenido aquel don de abstraernos cada vez que roza la madera.[…] El jienense consigue la vuelta de tuerca de obras que hemos escuchado en numerosas ocasiones y de pronto, nos descubre una historia dentro de la propia historia.[…] Cada interpretación que compone el disco es una magistral experiencia de menos de …

Spanish guitarist Ricardo Gallén is one of those rare musicians that can efface oneself from the musical process. By this I mean that all you hear on this recording is the music’s essence coming through, pure and expressive, without the presence of a person struggling with the instrument. The guitar in this case is the …

Ricardo Gallén transcends a musical discourse marked in undeniable technical perfection. Each page played delivers unique beauty, giving birth to more than a simple emotion; a true meditation. Here, once again, is an essential guitar recording.

Gallén’s tone, […] is rich, varied and resonantly beautiful. […] I was also very impressed with his ability to make complex polyphonic passages sound as if several instruments were playing. Even when playing fast, virtuosic passages, he makes a minimum of string whistles or fingerboard noises.

Brilliant and plastic at the same time, as these imaginative miniatures reveal themselves to the listener full of imagination and technical mastery.

Colom hace palpable la conexión entre ambos compositores a través de una cuidada y acertada selección […] logrando aportar algo completamente nuevo en una repertorio conocido y familiar.

The listener is invited into the deepest musical thinking by this scrupulous interpreter, but ends up ensorcelled by the pure beauty of the music.[…] It is in the slower pieces, too, that we hear what a majestic instrument this Steinway is, and what an remarkably vivid and detailed recording has been achieved by the sound …

The result is that the moment you hear Colom playing in his recital, you are astonished by the natural spontaneity and deep expressiveness produced by his subtle and perfectly judged interpretations. Superb pianism deserves recording of the highest quality.[…] Simply, sound is amazingly natural and full of detail […]

The fact that it is possible to connect different piano works in such an overwhelming way says something about the quality […] of this performance. I was completely overwhelmed by it and that has not really gotten worse after many listening. For me, this is one of the most beautiful examples of unity through diversity, …

Unas versiones intensas y a la vez cuidadas en extremo, en absoluto rutinarias ni asépticas, y, claro está, una música bellísima.

This is one of those seemingly rare occurrences where the highest fidelity sound is coupled with outstanding performances. […] The excellent clarity of the sound brings out every strand in the instrumental parts allowing one to hear nuances that are normally hidden. […] These players manage to deliver a performance that never sags and never …

El resultado global de la grabación es asombroso, tanto en su inmediatez como en su energía cruda, con todos los matices apasionados de la visión romántica de Brahms capturados perfectamente. […] Los intérpretes muestran una interacción particularmente sutil entre sus texturas contrastantes de cuerdas y teclado, creando una dinámica compartida que trae las profundidades expresivas …

El sonido es magnífico. Timbres perfectos, dinámicas poderosas sin exageración, y un gran equilibrio entre las voces de los solistas.

[…]a new reference for this quartets among those of Emil Gilels and the Quatuor Amadeus […]

Here we hear an ensemble that has grown completely with Brahms’ piano quartets and has created a performance in which […] the layeredness of this music seems effortless. […] The recording is warm and clear, leaving no detail unexposed. Magnificent.

I heartily suggest you acquire the double SACD and enjoy the best of Late Romantics. […]Without loosing any of its register, the piano sounds marvellous, all the timbres collected by the DSD256 and balanced so that even at the loudest sound required by Brahms, the recording technician never lets the piano overcome the strings. The …

Morelló’s mastery of the flute demonstrated thoughout the album is energetic and flawless, and it perfectly illustrates the requisite virtuosity and dynamic emotion for this genre.

Ambitious program, perfectly defended by flute player Vicent Morello and pianist Daniel del Pino, deploying energy at every moment […]

Flute players and addicts of the instrument shouldn’t miss Eudora’s latest issue, […] Morelló’s performance is remarkable, working through a huge range of techniques and flute capabilities. […] an airy ambience without loss of instrumental detail, and a natural 3-d sonic image of the ensemble.

In short, Petrit Ceku has delivered a stunning performance of these shape-shifting works. These arrangements are a revitalization of the genius of Bach as a living tradition. The engineers have created a sound image that is life-like, immediate and deeply pleasing. This is a recording for the ages.

It seems that guitarist Petrit Ceku has found the “voice” of his artistic soul so as to feel the music of the Leipzig cantor differently,with a new expressive force which subjugates and enchants at the same time. With playing that is astounding in its mastery, Petrit Ceku is sublime by playing on the dynamic contrasts, …

Exceptional playing captured with great clarity. I believe this could be one of those desert island discs you keep hearing about.

This is a performance of a very high level, technically perfect, with great rhetorical skills and a deep understanding of the structure of this music.

Çeku’s playing […] gripped me from his first few bars. His obvious love for Bach’s music brings a self-effacing purity of tone from his six-string guitar; gracious, elegant, endearing, with perfect control of dynamics […].  Çeku’s […] flying fingers of virtuosity and clear fluidity of thought sound almost as if all the Six Suites were …

As expected the Eudora recording is wonderfully detailed and airy, its timbres true.[…] If you’re serious about your Haydn Bagaría’s four sonatas are well worth acquiring. Sonically, […] Eudora’s up-to-the-minute DSD original is streets ahead of the otherwise decent BIS and Hyperion issues.

[…] not a bit of this intricate business slips from Enrique’s prodigious hands. There is some virtuosity in both of the remaining prestos, but even here, the emphasis is on the little surprises, spirited gestures, and tonal command of the instrument.[…] This SACD will confirm that the engineers at this label have achieved some rare …

Bagaria presents a very revolutionary, energetic and dynamic Haydn. […] Thanks to an excellent surround recording technique the listener experiences a real musical adventure.

Bagaría nos sumerge en el mundo de Haydn con un gusto admirable. Su sonido es transparente y su expresividad alcanza momentos de gran belleza […] El fraseo está muy bien construido y los pasajes rápidos son interpretados con mucha maestría. Se trata de un claro ejemplo de excelente técnica al servicio de la expresión emocional.

Uno de los mejores pianistas de la nueva generación, Enrique Bagaria hace gala de una exquisita musicalidad interpretando cuatro importantes sonatas de Joseph Haydn.

[…] Bagaría manages to balance [Haydn’s] complex intellectual simplicity by means of a clear straightforwardness: Like a real magician he shows us the trick and we still feel spellbound […]

Enrique Bagaría breathes life into each and every phrase, and assures that none of the notes are made to sound insignificant. His control of nuances, accents, articulation and dynamics is second to none. The music is always characterized by a natural feel for drama at one end and a sense of playful fun at the …

These are very fine renditions of Haydn sonatas, capturing wit and whimsy, characterisation, beautifully nuanced articulation for fluent ornamentation and giving scrupulous attention to Haydn’s frequent changes of dynamics without exaggeration. […] These beautifully polished performances would provide an excellent introduction to Haydn’s extensive list of piano sonatas; there are very few other examples in …

[…]Bagaría’s attention to detail, balanced rhetoric, dynamic finesse and light of touch creates room for humor, melancholy and lyricism.[…]

The warmth and closeness of the recording is admirable […]. Nordberg is clear in the exposition of the polyphony, natural in the treatment of rhythm, exquisite with the dynamics and the ornamentation.

Jonas Nordberg […] deployes a remarkable mastery deploying a remarkable mastery of precision and musicality. From start to finish the performance […] is a plea to rediscover this music.

A recording as it should be: intimate and detailed, with enough room for the sound to flourish.

High resolution is all about detail and timbre. And that is just what we hear abundantly on this disk. Every note can be pin pointed; one hears the fingers on the strings. The discrete surround (which in fact copies the reflection one hears in a hall, or, in this case, a church) creates lots of …

The performers here are sublimely sensitive to Rebay’s musical subtleties, from contrasts of dynamic and the weighing of chords against melodic lines, as well as in the democratic interaction between the instruments, elegantly demonstrated in the guitar’s melodic function in the second Variations movement of the Sonata in C minor. The added ambience of 5.0 …

With perfect balance touched by rare delicacy in their playing, José M. Alvarez Losada on the violin, Joaquin Riquelme on the viola, an Pedro Mateo Gonzalez on the guitar make these pieces enchanting at each moment. Let us also praise the sound recording that respects tones in realistic acoustics by which the instruments thrive with …

Dankzij deze drie Spaanse pleitbezorgers – ze spelen meer dan voortreffelijk en zetten zich duidelijk met hart en ziel in voor deze muziek – is het bovendien voortdurend genieten geblazen, nog versterkt door de opname die ik wel als een juweeltje wil klasseren. Goed dat deze muziek er is!

Ferdinand Rebay had a genuine feeling for the guitar, as one can hear in this beautiful and atmospheric performances of his duo sonatas. A much enjoyable disc!

[…] his music is thoroughly tonal, rooted in late romantic, melodious expressions. Well structured, sophisticated and refined. […] The viola player here, Joaquín Riquelme, plays with absolute ‘justesse’, which is rare for a viola player. The same applies to the violin of José Manuel Álvarez Losada. […] Revisiting a thus far mostly unknown composer, these …

Not only interesting, but also a very personal recording which will guarantee a beautiful and enriching experience to any opened-minded listener. Josep Colom is a veteran Spanish pianist, renowned for his recordings of De Falla, Mompou and Brahms. […] On this recording, he surely enjoys the finest sound engineering of his career as he debuts …

The product of Colom’s original narrative-based programme, his stunning interpretations and the artistry of Eudora’s DSD recording together produce a truly unique musical experience. […] This disc give pure joy, and induces the listener to immediately play it again.

Gallén’s overall approach to the four sonatas in the Viennese classical style (with Spanish flavours) is wonderfully idiomatic. He understands the kind of Enlightenment rhetoric which Mozart and Haydn used, and brings superb clarity as well as sympathetic expression to the music’s progress. You are never quite sure what Sor is going to do next, …

While there are many recordings of Fernando Sor available, this one really stands out. The works featured are among Sor’s finest concert works; the complete “Sonatas” with all movements – The Grande Sonatas opus 22 & 25, Grand Solo op. 14, and the Sonate op. 15. Ricardo’s playing sounds effortless and graceful, with elegant phrasing, …

Splendid performances of Fernando Sor’s four sonatas, recorded in a stunningly natural surround sound. Gallén’s playing is rhetoric, elegant and richly nuanced.

This SACD’s stunnning sound […] makes it the best recorded one with Fernando Sor’s music. […] The performance is so intense, so beautiful […] that places Sor in the forefront of the plucked string repertoire of his time […] One of the best guitar recordings of the last years.

[…] this is very good music, and it’s extremely well played by Gallén. The Sonata Op. 25, which has four big movements (the first of them slow and brooding), manages to convey a remarkable degree of contrapuntal interest, and Gallén has the admirable ability to differentiate melody, accompaniment, and inner parts in such a way …

First, let us salute the arrival of the Spanish label Eudora to the classical music field. In a layout that is both sober and elegant, the label proposes a DSD recording of the Sonatas for Guitar by Fernando Sor (1778-1839). […] Ricardo Gallén literally embraces these Sonatas in a musical flow of extreme sensibility, offering …