From time to time one comes across an exceptional guitar quartet at a concert, on CD or mp3. One’s interest grows and maybe will one like to explore this ensemble’s repertoire. But, how popular are guitar quartets? Are any guitar quartets in the list of the TOP 100 most recorded pieces for guitar?
The answer is no. Still, which quartets are the most popular? I found four.
To my knowledge, there are at least 38 recordings of Leo Brouwer’s Paisaje cubano con lluvia (1984) (“Cuban landscape with rain”).
Ex-aequo with this piece is Federico Moreno Torroba’s Estampas (1972)
The second place is also shared. This time between Paulo Bellinati and Leo Brouwer.
Paulo Bellinati for his Baiao de gude (1977) and Leo Brouwer for his Paisaje cubano con rumba (1985) (“Cuban landscape with rumba”) the two at 25 recordings.
These pieces are a good place to start if you are interested in music written for guitar quartets. Already know them? Then, you might want to listen to Máximo Diego Pujol’s Grises y soles (1996), Phillip Houghton’s Opals (1993) or even Nigel Westlake’s Six Fish (2003) for a start. Have fun!
Classical Guitar's Top 100 