Between Andres Segovia and Christopher Parkening, the most important classical guitarist was, beyond doubt Australian John Williams (not to be confused with the “Star Wars” conductor). His first three albums, all solo releases, were like a gauntlet not unlike the Virtuoso series by jazz guitarist Joe Pass. It was like, “who is this guy?!?” A student of Segovia, his genius is shown in this two cd, 47 song collection of these early albums.
Initially titled Guitar Recital Vol. 1, Guitar Recital Vol. 2 and A Spanish Guitar, the albums are a fresh breeze of interpretations. Williams’ fingers are well in the 18 Century form on his rich read of Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major” and “No. 1 in G Major” with some wondrously lovely Latin sounds on “Three Mexican Popular Songs” and “Variations on a Catalan Folk Song”. A collection of “12 Preludes” by Manuel Maria Ponce”, a collection of themes by Federico Moreno Torroba and a handful of compositions by mentor Segovia sound as if a nylon string baton is being passed on from master to student. A must-have for anyone looking for Baroque or Andalusian wonders.