One of the Absolute Masterpieces for the Guitar
Platero y Yo was recorded in Fredensborg Palace Chapel by the Danish masters of sound, Preben Iwan and Mette Due who beautifully captured the exceptional acoustics. We wish to express our sincere thanks to His Majesty King Frederik X, who personally granted us permission to record in Fredensborg Palace Chapel.
In preparation for bringing this masterwork to life, internationally acclaimed, multi prize-winning Danish guitarist Niklas Johansen not only studies the Spanish language to appreciate Jiménez’s prose-poems in their native language, but travelled to Spain, not far from Jiménez’s hometown of Moguer. The close relationship with the language and culture has lent Johansen’s interpretations a personal resonance.
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s 36-year collaboration with the legendary guitarist Andrés Segovia resulted in 35 works featuring the guitar, including three concertos several large cycles and numerous shorter pieces.
Castelnuovo-Tedesco first met Segovia at a festival in Venice in 1932 and composed a new work for the legendary guitarist almost every year afterwards. Among the towering masterpieces in guitar literature is Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Platero y Yo (Platero and I), a cycle of consisting of 28 settings, arranged into four groups of seven-movement suites with a total playing time of 1 hour and 49 minutes. Originally conceived as an accompaniment for a recitation of selections from the Nobel Prize winning Catalan poet Juan Ramon Jiménez’s collection of poetic sketches of the same name, the composer gave his permission for the work to be performed without spoken text, which is how it is performed here.
You can read Jiménez’s texts in English translation while listening to the music and enjoying the wonderful illustrations for each movement by the award-winning artist Halfdan Pisket especially commissioned for this recording.
Niklas Johansen, Guitar
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 01:35:03
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | 822693031 |
| Qualities | DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 24 Bit, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz |
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| Artists | |
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| Original Recording Format | |
| Analog to Digital Converter | Horus, Merging Technologies |
| Instruments | |
| Recording Location | Fredensborg Palace Chapel |
| Producers | Preben Iwan, Mette Due and Lars Hannibal |
| Mix & Master | Preben Iwan and Mette Due |
| Editing | Mette Due |
| Release Date | October 3, 2025 |
Press reviews
Jerry Dubbins
The moment I began listening to this and grasping what it was about, I knew I’d found what I was looking for. This was it. I’d go even further to say that this would be my choice for record of the year award. […] It’s really hard to describe the beauty of this music, for music begins where words end, and everything about this music—its performance by Johansen, the sound of his guitar, and the acoustic of the venue in which it was recorded—is transporting and transformational. Technically, Johansen’s playing is breathtaking, but more, it’s achingly beautiful.
INFODAD.com
Platero y Yo is a landmark among 20th-century guitar compositions and is justly celebrated by guitarists for its musical, expressive and illustrative qualities. The top-notch playing here, and the well-conceived and involving multimedia elements of the overall presentation, should help bring the beauty and meaningfulness of the work to a considerably wider audience. […] Johansen’s first-rate playing invites contemplation as well as straightforward enjoyment of his virtuosity and his sensitivity to Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s interpretation of Jiménez’ vision.
Classical Candor
…this release is a treat. Interesting, wonderful music for solo guitar, a series of short (a few minutes long) interludes based on verses from a lovely prose/poem, superbly played and recorded, and all wrapped up in an excellent package.
[…] The performances here are, in a word, superb. Johansen certainly is no novice, with a number of recordings and awards to his credit. Moreover, it is obvious, both from his notes in the accompanying booklet and from his playing, that he cares deeply about this music. Technically, the performances are fully adept, with never any sense of strain. But more than that, Johansen conveys emotional nuance without overemphasis, energy when needed and quiet introspection when called for, not drawing attention to himself but letting the music speak through his instrument.
Then there’s the recording: the booklet informs us that the album was recorded in Fredensborg Palace Chapel in Denmark by special permission of King Frederik X. In this case, the king certainly has done a public service: the acoustics of the chapel are reverberant but not muddy, suiting the music very well, and the engineers have captured the sound wonderfully.
Fanfare
Johansen is not the first guitarist to record this entire collection, but he might be the best to do so. […] OUR Recordings gives Johansen’s guitar a warm and intimate sound, so there are no concerns on that account.
Fanfare
The combination of phenomenal sound and a guitarist who has soaked up this music like a sponge is unbeatable, Wholeheartedly recommended.
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