‘From the nightmarish Erlkönig to the colourful Cuentos de la juventud and the touchingly poetic Children’s Corner, I conceived this album as an ode to childhood, to tenderness, to life. It represents years of hard work and my humble but heartfelt contribution to the long tradition of guitar transcription.
The childlike qualities embodied in the music fit particularly well with the intimate and warm sounds of the guitar. This recording, so expertly supported by Norbert Kraft’s stellar production, is a dream come true and I could not be happier with the result. Welcome to the beautiful world of childhood!’
– Johan Smith
Children’s Corner
Music for Guitar
DEBUSSY • GRANADOS • MOZART • SCHUBERT • SCHUMANN
Johan Smith, GuitarMulti-award-winning guitarist Johan Smith has considerably extended his instrument’s repertoire with this selection of transcriptions celebrating childhood in a variety of ways. These popular piano works – Schubert’s Erlkönig, Granados’s atmospheric Tales of Youth, Mozart’s elegant Sonata facile, Schumann’s Scenes from Childhood and the exquisitely sensitive and insightful miniatures of Debussy’s Children’s Corner – are presented in a totally natural and idiomatic manner within the guitar’s distinctly expressive soundworld.
III. Serenade for the Doll
Born in 1990 in Geneva, guitarist Johan Smith is the winner of numerous international competitions, including the 2019 Guitar Foundation of America competition, having been previously named ‘Classical Guitar Revelation 2017’ by Guitare Classique magazine. He has appeared as a soloist at renowned festivals and completed international concert tours in Canada, Japan and the United States, where he also made his debut at New York's Carnegie Hall.
– Gramophone
– Gramophone
– Yorkshire Post ★★★★★
– American Record Guide
– American Record Guide
– Lark Reviews
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