Sean Shibe, guitar

Bach Prelude in C minor, BWV 999
Barrios La Catedral
Barrios Julia Florida
Villa-Lobos Prelude No. 3
Villa-Lobos Selection of 12 Guitar Études
Mompou Excerpts from Suite Compostelana - I Prelude; II Coral; V Canción; VI Muñeira
Martín Quatre pièces brèves 
Thomas Adès Forgotten Dances [Irish Premiere]

Widely admired for his recordings of Bach and South American composers,Sean Shibe has been hailed as ‘the most interesting voice on the guitar for a generation’ (Gramophone) with a ‘great gift for painting notes in what seems a thousand colours’ (The Times).

His wide-ranging recital spans the centuries from Bach’s tumbling lute Prelude to exquisite Latin American miniatures by Barrios and Villa-Lobos, French elegance by Martín and Mompou, and the Irish premiere of Thomas Adès' Forgotten Dances, written for Shibe.

Forgotten Dances was commissioned by the Barbican Centre and the European Concert Hall Organisation in the framework of ECHO Rising Stars.

Did you know?

Agustín Barrios was himself a virtuoso guitarist and composed exclusively for the instrument.

Influenced by Bach, La Catedral is also infused with Paraguayan folk music.

Villa-Lobos composed more than 2,000 works in every genre except opera.

His Prelude No. 3 also owes a debt to Bach, its subtitle declaring an ‘homage’ to the composer. With echoes of Bach, Chopin and his native Brazilis 12 Guitar Études are a masterpiece of the guitar repertoire. 

Federico Mompou’s only original work for guitar, the Suite Compostelana is rich in styles and moods from antique chants to contemporary harmonies via the Andalusian folk music of his Spanish homeland.

Frank Martín’s Quatre pièces brèves encapsulate French elegance in miniature form.

Thomas Adès’s first work for solo classical guitar, Forgotten Dances is ‘a phantasmagoria of startling complexity and originality’ (William Yeoman). Its final movement is based on Purcell’s Evening Hymn.

Presented by NCH