Julian Bream & John Williams - Together (1993)

All the works in this recital, except for those by Sor and Carulli, are transcriptions, from either the lute, piano or orchestra. The composers' ideas are revealed with added intensity in the new medium, and their music sounds as natural on two guitars as if written for them in the first place.

Tracks
01 William Lawes: Suite for Two Guitars: Corant I
02 William Lawes: Suite for Two Guitars: Alman
03 William Lawes: Suite for Two Guitars: Corant II
04 Ferdinando Carulli: Duo in G, Op. 34: Largo
05 Ferdinando Carulli: Duo in G, Op. 34: Rondo
06 Fernando Sor: L'encouragement. Op. 34: Cantabile
07 Fernando Sor: L'encouragement. Op. 34: Theme and Variations
08 Fernando Sor: L'encouragement. Op. 34: Waltz
09 Issac Albéniz: Cantos de Espana, Op. 232, No. 4: Córdoba (Nocturne)
10 Enrique Granados: Goyescas: Intermezzo
11 Mauel de Falla: La vida breve: Spanish Dance No. 1
12 Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante d funte
13 Gabriel Faure : Dolly, Op. 56: Berceuse
14 Gabriel Faure : Dolly, Op. 56: Mi-a-ou
15 Gabriel Faure : Dolly, Op. 56: Dolly's Garden
16 Gabriel Faure : Dolly, Op. 56: Kitty-Valse
17 Gabriel Faure : Dolly, Op. 56: Tendresse
18 Gabriel Faure : Dolly, Op. 56: Spanish Dance
19 Enrique Granados: Danzas espanolas, Op. 37, No. 2: Oriental

Tom Eastwood, in linear notes
(Tom Eastwood is a composer whose music has been performed by both Julian Bream and John Williams)
Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, save perhaps two …"
Chopin's words have lost nothing of their immediacy with the passage of time. The opportunities of hearing a guitar duo are rare enough even today, and the promise of this beautiful sonority is still new. So it must have been with real delight that Julian Bream and John Williams paused from circling the world independently as the two leading guitarists of their generation and came together to make this recording as a duo. For us it has opened the window on a new world of sound, of which only the threshold has been explored.
All the works in this recital, except for those by Sor and Carulli, are transcriptions, from either the lute, piano or orchestra. The composers' ideas are revealed with added intensity in the new medium, and their music sounds as natural on two guitars as if written for them in the first place.

H. A. Duze @ amazon.com
Both Julian Bream and John Williams have been two of my favorites when it comes to classical guitar. Having them together on the same album, playing some of my favorite music is more than a treat; it is pure joy.
What I love is the fact that even though both are masters in their own rights, they were able to blend together their individual styles into an ensemble to create a set of moods which enhances the musical experience. All are wonderful, but they saved the best for last, the hauntingly beautiful Spanish Dance No. 2 of Granados. This is music that will have you stopping what you are doing just to listen to it. (If you are listening to this in the car, pull over please!) Although I have heard this piece before done by other greats, in the hands of Bream and Williams, it has been raised to heavenly heights, leaving the listener in a state between tears and great joy.
In summary, if you wish to own just one guitar album in your collection, this would be the one. My greatest regret is that I never had the pleasure of hearing either of them live on stage. The next best thing is this album.

Anonymous @ amazon.com
Two of the classical guitar's brightest masters together for traditional as well as transcribed works from a number of different composers. Either of the guitarists at their peak (this was recorded in '71 and '78) would have been good enough to amaze you if you are a follower of the guitar and its traditional music, both of them together is something that must be heard. The recording is excellent (ADD - remastered, I believe, in '93) and the selection of music plays to their strengths as individual musicians. To hear these two rivals play together at the same time is enlightening. Essential.