Gramophone Magazine
December 2023
Editor's Choice

Sean Shibe (guitar)

Barrios Mangoré: La Catedral
Barrios Mangoré: Julia florida
Villa-Lobos: Estudos (12) for guitar, W235
Ginastera: Guitar Sonata, Op. 47

Sean Shibe returns to the acoustic guitar on Profesion, bringing together works by Agustin Barrios, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Alberto Ginastera. The album derives its name from Barrios's "Profesion de fe" (profession of faith), a poetic, mythological text praising the divine power of music, often used as a preface to his concerts. Barrios's La Catedral and Julia Florida are combined with Villa Lobos's 12 Etudes, while Ginastera's Guitar Sonata completes the programme. These works by Southern American composers share a spirit of homage and pastiche, bound together by magical realism. The music is voluminous, indulging in excess, and narcotic, and as such creates a counterweight to the reserved and retrospective nature of Shibe's acclaimed acoustic predecessor album Camino. This will be Shibe's first-ever album playing repertoire that was originally conceived for acoustic guitar, and he uses a Hauser copy, initially built for Julian Bream. It was considered one of the best instruments of the 1930s, and fits the sound world of this programme like a glove.

"This is a gleaming and brilliant album that doesn’t fail to awaken the senses to the exhilarating world of un-adulterated acoustic sound." - BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2023