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The Best I've Heard So Far

by Gerry Busch
(Canada)

I'm going to list these three artists by the order in which I first heard them, rather than by preference, as I like them equally:

Julian Bream - He was the first classical guitarist I listened to back in 1965 (ancient history). Bream's interpretations of baroque works on both the guitar and the lute won me over immediately. I also admired his ability to connect directly with his concert audience through little talks about the music he was playing.

Jeffrey McFadden - I discovered him about ten years ago when purchasing some CDs from a Fernando Sor series on the Naxos label. He seems to bring out the best in Sor's works. Many guitarists manage to play Sor's pieces with great technical precision, but leave the music sounding rather dry. Not McFadden, however!

Denian Arcoleo - I discovered him in his YouTube videos last year. He does a terrific job with everything he plays -- nice, clean playing and wonderfully expressive interpretations. My favorite performances by Arcoleo are works by three famous Brazilian composers: Garoto, Pernambuco and Reis.