D.SCARLATTI & HANDEL:WORKS FOR GUITAR DUO:KATONA TWINS

Another of Channel Classic's Canal Grande series of re-releases of their best recordings from the last 15 years, this recording of Scarlatti and Handel works is certainly deserving of a position of honor. All of the works on the album (with the exception of the Handel Trio Sonata) were originally composed for the harpsichord. Transcribing them for two guitars is not a stretch as both instruments produce sound by plucking strings; it is also in line with the Baroque practice of transcription for whatever instruments may be available at a given performance. Not only is the two-guitar version of these works a natural idea, the result is amazingly successful. The guitar offers a warmth and depth that the harpsichord sometimes lacks. The two guitars are separated on the recording, each on their own channel. This yields a clear division between the harmony and the melody, but also gives the sound a sense of immense spaciousness that envelops the listener. Brothers Peter and Zoltan Katona's deft and fluid technique matches perfectly with their sensitive and thoughtful musical decisions.