Mediterraneo [Import]

I pre-ordered this CD because I saw it reviewed in The Economist (a newspaper that rarely reviews music). I treasure many CDs by Segovia, Williams and Bream in my collection and am familiar with most of the pieces on Milos's debut CD. So I didn't really expect anything new. Boy, was I wrong. Milos extracts an altogether refreshing tone from his instrument, and to my ear his technique and phrasing are flawless--and yet quite different from that of, for example, Bream, in the Albeniz and Granados pieces. That said the arrangement and almost meditative execution of Granados's Oriental is breathtaking. The acoustic of the Air Studio in London has an almost cathedral-like ambience; and DG's recording is demonstration quality, too, although some may find the fidelity with which the sound of the artist's breathing is transferred annoying (I did not). Mixed in with the better known pieces for guitar are ones by Domeniconi and Theodorakis, hopefully a signal that Milos will in future CDs look farther yet eastwards for his music while continuing also to dish up new interpretations of the better known repertoire. I you find your eyes welling up as you listen to this, don't say you weren't warned.

Milos Karadaglic. Remember the name and purchase this first ever recording by this brilliant young, handsome 28 year old from Montenegro who happens to be the new miracle in classical guitar we have been waiting to hear. His personal history is fascinating - a childhood surrounded by the wars in the Balkans, his early fascination with music and his eventual final training in the Royal Academy of Music in London where Michael Lewin recognized the next great talent in guitar and has mentored him since. But enough of personal data. This CD is a tribute to the great composers for the guitar past and present, to the extraordinary talent of Milos Karadaglic (who is simply using the first name as he enters the international realm of performance), and in every way it is a startling fine debut.

One of the aspects of Milos' skill is the quiet of his fingers as they slide along the strings on the fret. Unlike many of the guitarists who have recorded (even the masters like Segovia, Bream and Williams) whose squeak as the fingers move up and down the fret could be distracting, Milos is able to travel those note changes in silence. It is uncanny. His playing is so intensely musical that even on the better known works played here he presents them afresh. The result is an album of Mediterranean music for guitar that is now the gold standard.

The works on the album include Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz' 'Asturias' and 'Granada', 'Sevilla'; Enrique Granados' 'Andaluza' and the haunting 'Orientale' from' Danzas españolas' (arrranged for guitar by the artist and Lewin); Francisco Tárrega's 'Lagrima', 'Adelita', 'Recuerdos de la Alhambra' and 'Capricho árabe'; a refreshingly different contemporary suite with a Turkish flavor - the 'Koyunbaba' by Carlo Domeniconi; Mikis Theodorakis' 'A Day in May', You Have Set, My Star'; Miguel Llobet's 'El testament d'Amelia'; and an anonymous baroque work 'Jeux interdits' performed with the English Chamber Orchestra. The spectrum is wide, the technique is immaculate, and the soul in these works is revealed by the very impressive Milos Karadaglic. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, June 11

I love the sound of the guitar. Being a Spaniard from Andalucía, perhaps it should be expected. But my passion has always been opera and baroque music and I think what I find so appealing in that instrument is the way it seems to convey more obviously tan others the raw emotions of the player. It is more accessible and to my ears its sound more earthy and sensual. Of course I have admired the sublime art of Andrés Segovia and the mastery of Narciso Yepes and -in a more popular vein- Paco de Lucía. So I approached the debut album of Milos Karadaglic with curiosity and a bit of reservation. Could this handsome young newcomer bring something that I couldn't find in the old masters? Did I need another only guitar CD? Well, the answer to both questions is yes. His chosen repertory is mainly Spanish and well recorded many times over.But I find his playing both fresh and stunning. The sound he extracts from those strings are truly mind-blowing. But he is more than a mere virtuoso. His passion for the instrument since childhood seems to have created a relationship with the instrument close to lovemaking and he gives all of himself, body and soul, to each piece, although I find the first track (Asturias) particularly moving. This is an extraordinary debut album. The half hour little documentary on the DVD is quite interesting too, giving fine close-ups of his playing.

PS. Titled "Mediterráneo" instead of "The Guitar" in the US release.