Guitarist David Russell, recognized for his "evident mastery" of the Spanish guitar repertoire, releases a new album featuring distinctive works by master Isaac Albéniz. With movements from the critically-acclaimed Doce Piezas Caracteristicas and the picturesque Cantos de España to enchanting, Gypsy-inspired dances like the Zambra Granadina, the album celebrates the best of Albéniz' oeuvre, including works originally composed for other instruments. "The magic in Albeniz' Spanish melodies is unsurpassed. Many of his pieces sound so good on the guitar that it is amazing that they were not written for our instrument," says Russell. "I am sure that he had the sound of the guitar in the back of his mind, while he was writing them." Isaac Albeniz: Spanish Music on Guitar joins Russell's catalogue of traditional guitar repertory, including records featuring the music of Paraguayan guitarist-composer AgustÃn Barrios Mangoré, Spanish composer Federico Moreno Torroba, and the three Rodrigo concerti for solo guitar (Concierto de Aranjuez, FantasÃa para un Gentilhombre and Concierto para una Fiesta), along with his most recent Art of the Guitar.
Winner of the 2005 Grammy® award for best instrumental soloist, guitarist David Russell is recognized worldwide for his superb musicianship and inspired artistry. Lauded by The New York Times for his "talent of extraordinary dimension," Russell has appeared regularly at prestigious halls in main cities, such as New York, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Madrid, Toronto or Rome. Since 1995, he has recorded exclusively for Telarc International, with which he has recorded sixteen CDs, among them the Grammy® - winning Aire Latino.
Named a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Music in London in 1997, Russell has also won the Medal of Honor from the Conservatory of the Balearics, along with numerous international competitions, including the Andrés Segovia Competition , the José RamÃrez Competition and Spain's prestigious Francisco Tárrega Competition.
In 2009, Russell was named honorary member of "Amigos de la Guitarra", the oldest guitar society in Spain, and both a street in Es Migjorn, Minorca, and an auditorium at the music conservatory of Vigo have been named after him. The town of Nigrán, where he resides, awarded Russell a silver medal in recognition of his 2005 Grammy® win.
