Classical Guitar Music CD's You Can't Live Without

The classical guitar is truly unique among musical instruments. One of the few instruments that can simultaneously play both melody and accompaniment, a classical guitar performance has a warmth and intimacy not often heard with other instruments or ensembles.

The repertoire for classical guitar literally spans centuries. For a recording to be classified as "can't live without", it must contain works from the best composers, as performed by true masters of the instrument. The recordings listed below come from six of the finest musicians to ever play classical guitar, and provide a good cross-section of what the instrument is capable of.

These recordings form an excellent classical guitar "essentials" collection. For those who want to expand beyond the basic collection, I've listed a number of CDs that I think would be good additions.

Christopher Parkening, The Great Recordings (Label: EMI Classics)

This 2-disc collection (over two hours of music), contains Parkening's own favorite recordings from his 25 years at EMI. Selections range from the baroque era to works by 20th century composers such as Debussy and Ravel. Parkening performs several compositions from Johann Sebastian Bach, including Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (see video, right), as well as classical pieces from Mozart and François Couperin. Also included are compositions from noted romantic-era composers Fernando Sor, Isaac Albeniz and Enrique Granados.

Paul Galbraith, Paul Galbraith Performs Mozart, Bach and Britten (Label: Mashulka Productions, Inc.)

This recording includes Galbraith's performances of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Bach's Suite for Solo Cello No. 4 in E Flat Major, and Nocturnal After John Dowland, for Guitar, Op. 70 by 20th century British composer Benjamin Britten.

Manuel Barrueco, 300 Years of Guitar Masterpieces (Label: Vox Classical)

As the title suggests, this collection (three discs, containing nearly three hours of music) contains quite a wide variety of music. Composers represented include Bach, Albeniz, Granados, Domenico Scarlatti, Niccolò Paganini, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Chávez and others.

David Russell, Art of the Guitar (Label: Telarc)

This is a varied, adventurous collection of music. Several of the composers represented, such as Isaac Albeniz, Fernando Sor and Heitor Villa-Lobos, are familiar to followers of classical guitar, but the collection also includes transcriptions of short piano pieces from Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, as well as selections from 20th century Venezuelan composer Vicente Emilio Sojo, and music from the score for the 1978 film The Deer Hunter.

Julian Bream and John Williams, Together Again (Label: RCA)

Guitarist virtuosos Julian Bream and John Williams (not the famous composer/conductor) perform Suite for 2 Lutes by baroque composer George Phillip Telemann, compositions from Albeniz and Granados, and works from Debussy and English renaissance composer John Johnson, all arranged for two guitars.

The CDs listed above constitute an excellent classical guitar collection by any standards. What follows are some suggestions for those wanting to explore the genre further. The guitarists on this list are familiar: Russell, Williams, Parkening and Bream. It's hard to go wrong with performances from these masters.

David Russell is especially good for exploring new musical territory. Russell is known for including compositions and musical styles from outside the standard classical guitar repertoire in his performances, and has released several albums themed around specific styles, eras and/or composers.

Renaissance Music:

• David Russell, Renaissance Favorites for Guitar (Label: Telarc)

Baroque Era:

• John Williams, The Baroque Album (Label: Sony)
• Christopher Parkening, Parkening Plays Bach (Label: EMI Classics)

Romantic Era:

• Julian Bream, Romantic Guitar (Label: RCA)

Spanish Music:

• Julian Bream, Spanish Guitar Music (Label: DG)
• David Russell, Reflections of Spain (Label: Telarc)

Latin American Music:

• David Russell, Aire Latino: Latin American Music for Guitar (Label: Telarc)

Modern Classical:

• John Williams, The Great Paraguayan - Guitar Music of Barrios (Label: Sony)

Flamenco, a very dramatic and passionate form of Spanish music, is a genre that classical guitar aficionados may enjoy. The flamenco guitar is quite similar in tone and construction to the classical guitar, and the best guitarists display a virtuosity equal to that of the classical masters.

The early works of Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia, recorded before he began combining flamenco with jazz influences, are an excellent introduction to traditional flamenco music. I recommend these CDs:

• La Fabulosa Guitarra de Paco de Lucia (Label: Polygram Int'l)
• Fantasia Flamenca de Paco de Lucia (Label: Universal)

These are my suggestions for a "must have" classical guitar CD collection. Do you have a favorite guitarist or recording that you think should be on the list? Let me know in the comments section below.