Together Again/ Julian Bream & John Williams

The very best

I have a large collection of classical guitar recordings. Quite simply, "Together Again" is the finest,best recordings of its genre ever made. It features arrangements that had never been before heard and that a big plus, for the normal repertoire for guitar is fairly small and we soon tire of hearng the same pieces again and again. The virtuosity of both Williams and Bream is unqustionalble. Bream sounds a bit steely at times. whereas Williams is soft. Together, they produce a magnificent sound. January 11, 2007

Sublime

The two foremost virtuosos of our time have come together once again to produce this sublime album.

What John Williams lacks in lyricism is easily compensated for by Bream and the result is outstanding.

Their chemistry is so amazing and the pieces come to life in such a cohesive way that I sometimes think it is one person with 10 fingers on each hand playing the pieces.

Not every piece is easily accessible, so give it time.

Highly recommended. March 13, 2006

An excellent CD for anyone who loves the classical guitar

This CD is a must have for all lovers of the classical guitar. As is the case of the first album, aptly named "Together", the modern masters of the classical guitar, Bream & Williams, join forces again in order to achieve some spectacular results.

The main problem of playing a classical guitar is the genuine lack of material, apart from those (relatively few) pieces which were originally written for the guitar. Furthermore, being a fairly limited instrument, the guitar limits severely the possibilities of adapting various classical pieces which were not written originally for the guitar. Thus, Bream & Williams, set out on a mission - to achieve what is not possible on one guitar, by playing a duet of classical guitars. Hence, almost all the compositions here are adaptations, but this is by no means a bad thing - the arrangements very cleverly hides the limits of the instruments, while emphasizing it's intimate and warm nature.

Two of the most notable of these adaptations are "Evocacion", from Albeniz "Suite Iberia" and "Bajo la palmera" from "Cantos de Espana", both of which were written for piano. It is well worth mentioning that many of Albeniz compositions were based on traditional spanish tunes, played originally on guitars. Thus, by playing these truly great pieces on classical guitars, Bream & Williams are restoring some of the magic which allured Albeniz to these tunes in the first place. One might also feel these tunes sound actually more natural played on two guitars rather than on a piano.

Other interesting adaptations are the three pieces by Debussy, which are very melodic and are very suitable to be played on guitars.

I warmly recommend this excellent album for anyone who appreciates classical music played by very able musicians. I guess it's also ideal as a gift for those who like good music which isn't classical, and are interested in exploring new grounds, as this album is very communicative, although it hasn't lost any of it's integrity. June 12, 2000

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