Sharon Isbin

These CDs are truely incredible. I bought these because I'm always really stressed, and I will be starting college soon. Plus, I love guitar music, and this has a Spanish edge, which I love. This collection of amazing songs are so soothing, I could sleep to the music. The guitar is so well played, and the songs are never boring. I truly love this!

The only regret is that in the liner
notes, the names of composers Manuel Ponce
and Heitor Villa-Lobos are misslabeled in their pictures
thought you should know that; otherewise
the recording is great outstanding work
of Isbin and the New Yorkers, Serebrier is
just as great as always...

Wanted the concert from Jackson Hole. This isn't it. Not so hot.

Sharon Isbin gives a phenominal performance on this album. All three concertos are excecuted very well. One of the biggest things that I enjoy about Aranjuez on this CD is that the guitar never gets covered up by the orchestra. I have listened to recordings of Aranjuez and not known that certain passages were even in the guitar part until I saw someone perform the concerto live. This is a great recording because it gives you three essential guitar concertos on one recording executed by world class musicians.

The Rodrigo concerto is without a doubt the most important and famous composition involving a guitar in the entire classical repertory. However, of the three concertos on this recording, Aranjuez is probably the weakest one on the disc. Isbin's tone gets a little to naily and clicky sometimes on this piece. Some of the runs in the first movement are a little sloppy and the cadenza in the second movement is a little over dramatic and the climax of the cadenza is very harsh. However, from the standpoint of sheer musical interpretation, it is probably one of the best interpretations of Aranjuez I've ever hear. Isbin adds little details to the piece that make it much more exciting.

The Villa-Lobos is very exciting. It seems that Isbin cleans up her technique a little by this point. The Ponce is brilliant as well. Words cannot describe the amazing execution of these pieces. I also cannot give as much critism to these pieces because I don't know them as well as the Rodrigo. Overall, this is a very solid recording. It is probably the best classical guitar recording of the year.

Superlative version of the "Concierto de Aranjuez". The only caveat is a few too many fireworks in a cadenza in the otherwise beautiful second movement. Since it is slightly overwrought, though this album is a must for guitar lovers, it shouldn't be the only recording of this piece in one's collection. Try balancing it with the less emotional Christopher Parkening version.

I'm sure that Sharon Isbin does not exactly live for Grammy Awards, although they certainly don't hurt a performer's career. However, it is astonishing to me that her collaboration in this recording with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Jose Serebrier was not seen fit to merit at least a nomination for the 2005 awards. I'm sure that all of the nominees and the winner (announced the previous night) gave fine performances, but they could not have been any more compelling than this one.

I've heard many recordings of classical guitar with orchestra, and none that I have heard surpass this one. It is true that Isbin made a previous recording of the Rodrigo in 1989 with Lawrence Foster and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra that received critical acclaim and that Rodrigo himself praised her performance then as among the very best. However, that earlier recording contained one major flaw: the guitar was apparently not miked separately from the orchestra. As a result, the orchestra often covered her playing to an annoying degree. (If the guitar did have its own miking, the engineers did not bother to use it when they created the master.)

The current recording of the Rodrigo has all of the artistry of that first recording and none of its defects. The presence of both guitar and orchestra is, indeed, intimate. As a result, so much more of her interplay with the orchestra, as well as her unmatched range of color and dynamics, not to say technical brilliance, stand out brilliantly.

Sharon is, perhaps, unique among guitarists recording today in coming closest to the expressive range found only in Segovia, even to the point of almost matching his apparently unmatchably warm vibrato. And Segovia unfortunately never had a recording this magnificent in detail and presence to pass on to us. If you consider that Segovia is never known to have played Rodrigo's "Concierto De Aranjuez," then I would not hesitate in suggesting that this recording gives you an excellent idea of how he might have played it (along with more of his unique vibrato).

The other two works on the recording are equally brilliant. The Villa-Lobos surprises (I had not heard it before), and the Ponce, again, is a very close match to Segovia's own matchless recording of that piece.

In truth, Sharon Isbin brings her own unique qualities, including a steadier sense of tempo that stands apart from Segovia's famously self-determining (and remarkably effective) tempi. With more recordings like this, and a personal and professional generosity that stands apart, her name may yet be uttered in the same breath as that of the formerly unsurpassable Segovia.

So, what did happen to that Grammy nomination?

I actually purchased this as a birthday present for my daughter.

She loves it!

Sharon Isbin is one of the greatest guitarists ever and a consumate artist. I also understand that she is a very sweet, accessible person in real life, which adds to her charm. The music has spoken for itself over the ages and needs no review. Isbin's interpretation makes it fresh and 3-dimensional with her loving interpretations.

No matter how many other recordings you have of the music, this is a valuable addition to any collection!

I heard this recording on NPR, starting midway through the second movement of the Vivaldi concerto. I have listened to this piece for fifty years and knew what it was within a second. I was zipping down the interstate in a relatively quiet car and was struck by Isbin's sensitive interpretation and scribbled a note to myself to order it right away. When it arrived I played it in the quiet of my home only to discover how devastatingly unbalanced the recording was. it was as if Isbin were standing two feet in front of you and an ensemble of talented little people accompanied her in another room.

Who could have made this terrible aesthetic mistake? Perhaps it's Isbin, because that's the way she hears it. But Vivaldi was writing for a sound created by the relationship between the solo instrument and an accompanying string ensemble (although I have heard a version for two mandolins). Try imagining the second movement of Beethoven's 9th from the point of view (point of hearing) of the tympanist. It might not be exactly what Beethoven had in mind.

My wife and I heard the BSO and Levine perform the Gurreleider on a Thursday night a few years ago. We were overwhelmed by its power and beauty. We couldn't wait to hear it again on the live radio performance the following Saturday night. What a disappointment! The soloists were heavily miked and you could have no sense that there were 150 singers and more than a hundred other musicians on the stage.

As with so much in life and in music, proportion is everything.

The Isbin lacks a sense of proportion to the ear. It does not succeed in presenting the music even though it shows her technical competence.

Kudo's to Ms. Isbin, her masterful playing brings warmth to the classical pieces thus removing the pretense and stiffness generally assoicated with classical music

I've always enjoyed Parkening and others who do Bach on the guitar. Here, noted classic guitarist Isbin provides a beautifully crafted and performed set of baroque favs on guitar.

She plays with controlled passion and clarity, and to my ear her Bach is even more clean and phrased superior to Parkening's.

The selection is well chosen, with great addition to instrument's reportoire of Vivaldi's Concerto in A major.

I find her Albioni's Adagio very well done! The dynamics are well done as well as tempo in this spirited rendiiton.

Ms. Isbin certainly is one of the premiere performers of this instrument, and here is a well done collection from the baroque era, which many of us consider to be one of the best.

I will limit my comments here to the Tan Dun piece, as I don't care much for the music of Christopher Rouse.

Tan Dun's concerto for guitar and orchestra "Yi2" (1996) is one of the composer's more avant-garde statements, light years away from the world-music crossover gimmickry of the "Symphony 1997" he was readying around the same-time. That is not to say that Tan Dun's Chinese culture plays a role here, for in fact like all his best work this music is a wholesome and *convincing* synthesis of modern orchestral trends with Dun's rural Chinese upbringing.

Out of classical soloist repertoire, music for guitar has been the most difficult for me. Even with composers that are nearly always satisfying, such as Per Norgard and Toru Takemitsu, their guitar music just leaves me scratching my head. I suspect that it is because growing up with rock music makes the guitar "not classical enough", as it were. How does Tan Dun overcomes my resistence? By writing for the guitar as if it were not a guitar! That is, at times Tan Dun treats the guitar as if it were the pipa, the stringed Chinese folk instrument. At other times he gives an aggressive edge to a usually lilting instrument, even exploring the possibilities of noise.

The orchestral scoring is considerable, with a large string section and four percussionists playing exotic instruments and Tan Dun's own water inventions. Nonetheless, it normally stays out of the way of the soloist. Yet, in the end, that's what gives me reservations about the concerto. Its musical material could have been used just as well for a solo work, there's no sense of dialogue or confrontation between soloist and orchestra.

As much as I admire the guitar writing, "Yi2" ultimately gives mixed feelings. For those new to Tan Dun, I'd recommend the superb DVD of his work "The Map" (on Deutsche Grammophon) or the "Water Passion" (Sony). Save this disc for when you've decided to seek out more.

This disc features unbelievable musical composition, emotional playing, and great depth and breadth a emotion. A must have - truly incredible music.....

Some new pieces of music sound OK the first or second time you listen to them, then the returns diminish. Others are bad to begin with and get worse.

With this CD, I thought: hmm, pretty nice, maybe I'll listen to it again. Like an opening flower, each subsequent exposure brought greater pleasure. What a suprise that music this subtle yet generous recording would win composer Rouse a Grammy, which often goes to more splashy issues!

This CD has earned an honored--and well worn--parking slot on my collector's shelf!

Rouse's concerto is one of the richest and most amazingly complex pieces of contemporary music I've heard in quite a while, but is at the same time completely accessible on first listening. Someone should, however, correct Mr. Rouse's mistaken impression that flamenco music has anything to do with the Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudi, who was Catalan, not Spanish. Even the writer of the liner notes refers several times to Gaudi as "Spanish" and seems to think that flamenco music is somehow a natural match for his architectural genius. This is somewhat analogous to saying that one should listen to Delta blues while viewing the buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright. Catalan culture is entirely distinct from the Andalucian roots of flamenco. Perhaps Mr. Rouse has never been to Spain. But enough quibbling: the work itself (leaving Gaudi out of it) is astonishing and very highly recommended.

Wonderful work Mr. Rouse, I have not heard you
have this much fun since the recording 'Dance Mix'
came out, remember? the piece you wrote for 8 percussionists?
Well, this guitar concerto; "Concert de Gaudi"
is wonderful.There is a chord in the first movement of
this concerto similar to one used by Romero and Torroba,
in their "Concierto de Malaga". Full orchestra with a
big percussion section and loud brass and at times, evocative
solos on the solo guitar section.As for Mr. Dun, his Concerto
for Guitar and Orchestra, is just as good. Full of percussion,
including a 'water gong', which is a normal practice for this
composer.Dun's Concerto is great, charming, at times sensous,
and inventive. Mr. Dun, you did a wonderful work.I am very please
to own this recording in my personal collection.

The guitar performance is as good as it gets. Every track could have been recorded as a solo performance and worked very well. The percussion and saxophone enrich the context and move the performance into something more than just music. After listening you feel like you've just enjoyed something wonderful and at the same time you've been educated without realizing it! After listening you understand something about Latin American music that you didn't before.

The Journey to the Amazon does just what the title suggests, taking you on an melodious adventure of guitar and local instruments and rhythms. This disc was my introduction to the sound of a classical guitar, and I found that the path Sharon Isbin took from more classical repertoire suited her style well. I may not have liked the sound of classical guitar at all if I had first listened to it in a more traditional genre.

This CD was my first exposure to Sharon Isbin, and I am absolutely mesmerized by it!! The music is beautiful, lyrical and moving. You can close your eyes and feel transported to a lovely other-worldly place full of graceful Latin/Brazilian rhythms.

This recording was one of my early exposures to Sharon Isbin on CD. I had the pleasure of experiencing her live performance prior to the purchase of this CD. As a fan of heavier guitar music, (i.e. Steve Vai and Eric Johnson), I never believed I would enjoy a classical guitarist. I was so completely moved by the performance Ms. Isbin gives on this CD, that I promptly purchased "Dreams of a World" and most recently "Baroque Favorites for Guitar". I highly recommend this CD if you want to hear a guitarist whose work defies traditional categorization. I give it 10 stars! Please try to see Ms. Isbin live in recital if she comes to your area; you will experience a remarkable performance.

I had the good fortune of hearing these performers live and relished every moment. Rarely does a CD live up to a live performance, but this is one that does and more. A must buy!!

I was introduced to Ms. Isbin's music this winter during a trip when a friend had "Dreams of a World" on for 3 days straight, dawn to dusk. Typically, after listening to the same CD twice, one gets bored or annoyed. Yet, this was not the case; on the contrary "Dreams of a World" warmed us up --it was delicately beautiful. Ms. Isbin employs an astonishing pallet of colors, which she blends with unprecedented technical mastery and imaginative nuances throughout her oeuvre.

Cancion y danza for guitar, Agua E Vinho Mahar and Yerushala'im shel zahav are pieces which can easily be overly sentimental and languorous. Ms. Isbin keeps a pleasant balance between the melancholy in her phrasing, the underlying dynamism of her voice
and the warm character of the pieces. I can only recommend Dreams of a World to anyone in search of high quality music played by an artist, not merely a technician.

This is one of my all time favorite CD. When critics call Sharon Isbin the "Monet of the guitar" or the "preeminent guitarist of our time" they only begin do justice to her mastery of the instrument. On this CD my favorite pieces are Agua E Vinho, Cancíon y danza for guitar, Recuerdos de la Alhambra. They are superbly played; they are flawless, passionate ,very moving. I cannot help feeling transcend when listening to Dreams of a World. Ms. Isbin does more than play nice music from all over the world; in this CD she shares her heartfelt dreams of a world.

I highly recommend Dreams of a World.

This has long been my favorite classical guitar recording, and I just put it on again after hearing another recent favorite recording ("Reflections of Spain") played by David Russell, who is perhaps the most gifted contemporary guitarist on record. I was inspired to do so by Russell's performance of the "Cancion y Danza No. 1" by Antonio Ruiz-Pipo, which though quite excellent, I knew right away was quite different from Isbin's take on the same piece.

First, let me say, I hope that they are good friends, because they are both landmark musicians and worthy "competitors." Both clearly play with absolute love for both the music and the instrument. In short, I prefer Isbin's recording of the Pipo "Danza," even though, overall, Russell's playing is technically cleaner and more facile (but not by much). (Across his entire CD, I recall barely any string noise from Russell, where as Isbin manages a mere dozen or so clear such imperfections across her entire and ample CD; big deal).

I think the thing that draws me to Isbin in this piece (and her CD, in general) is her incredible variety of rhythm, attack, and tone color, all of which combine to give an impression of near perfect balance between spontaneity and precision. She has a way of taking time without the slightest sense of delay or heaviness. This is probably because her tempo never changes, only the rhythm around it, which is a classic hallmark of rhythmic mastery. This means that she hears and feels, both deeply and objectively, every moment of "sound and space" (notes and rest) from beginning to end, like an unbroken line painted across a master's canvas. Combined with this, she uses the space between her bridge and finger board to elicit the most amazing contrasts in tone color (one of the great contributions of Segovia to the art).

Russell plays with equal mastery of rhythm and attack, perhaps aided by the remarkable sonic depth built into his guitar. While he makes maximum use of that wonderful guitar sound, he is somewhat less dramatic in his changes of volume and tone color between phrases, aiming for a more consistent and lyrical quality, certainly another aim of mastery in itself, but there in lies the difference. Still, his sharp shaping of phrases, especially in his choice of Spanish music on his entire CD, with that impeccable technique behind it, weaves a spell all its own.

So, even though Russell's is among the finest pure Spanish musical CDs available, and one of my favorite in that genre (musical realm), I still have to give my nod to Isbin's multi-national effort for its unmatched ability to conjure, especially today, the most sublime dreams of a better world.

From the moment I put this CD on my player to the time the CD ended, I was transfixed. This CD is such a delight to the ears, that it is difficult to put into words the emotions experienced while listening. I attended a NY Philharmonic performance several weeks ago with guest soloist Sharon Isbin. Her live performance was mesmerizing. She did an encore performance of "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" which took my breath away. The NY Times reviewer called it a "...virtuoso encore...". How wonderful that this piece appears on Dreams of a World. A CD that will transport you around the world with the flavors of outstanding compositions interpreted by a musician who is one of the greatest living classical guitarists today. Do yourself a favor and experience the magic.

You don't have to be a classical music expert to love this CD. It is accessible to both the novice as well as the sophisticated listener.

Dreams of a World is the type of CD you come back to over and over again. Each listening reveals a new layer of complexity and mastery. To master an instrument requires a unique blend of disciplined technique and creative emotion. One may aspire to being a perfect technician and yet lack in emotive nuance. One may aspire to evoke emotion and yet lack proper technique. In either case the listener is left wanting. Isbin however, inspires by combining flawless technique with passionate creativity. For example, the works by Neomi Shemer shimmer. Isbin's technique, her emotion, and her versatility shine forth on this CD. This is a beautiful work, and should be in every music lovers collection.

Wonderful combination & range of classical music from both centuries past and current day. Included are two disks of soothing, relaxing bliss.

The CD was a gift for my Father who has limited mobility but still fully enjoys music. He loves the CD and we very much appreciated the timelyness of the shipment. Amazon.com is my first choice in on-line gifts. cj