Amoroso, compilation (CD incl.)

Please note that audio files from the CD are not included in the PDF format purchase option. The discount has been adjusted accordingly.

This is a splendid collection of material by the Canadian guitarist David Gaudreau. All the pieces in this album, 14 in total, have been released previously by this publisher in separate books but this time the music comes with the CD with the composer performing, and quite splendidly too, all the works.
The style throughout is contemporary with the emphasis definitely on «melody« for a good percentage of the time and it has to said that there are some superb melodic compositions in this gathering, one of which stands head and shoulders above the others in beauty, the delightfully elegant and poignant Air, which alone must be worth the price of the book. Here and there are suggestions of the styles of such as Barrios, Kleynjans and Tesar, all of whom could/can write a good tune when required but Gaudreau does have a «voice« of his own and his skill at writing extremely attractive and charming music is to be admired.
The album concludes with its one and only piece for two guitars, a little Romance which seems to hint occasionally at the pop classics If and Sometimes When We Touch, although I'm not sure if this is intentional or not ... probably not.
When d'OZ reached their 1000th edition they celebrated the occasion by releasing a gem of a publication by the Dutch guitarist Annette Kruisbrink (which I had the pleasure of reviewing). It seems a coincidence that now they have reached their 1100th edition these publishers have published yet another pearl (albeit music which has been published before).
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)