Guitar Sonata in C Major, Op. 31, No. 1
Guitar Sonata in A Minor, Op. 31, No. 2
Guitar Sonata in G Major, Op. 31, No. 3
Guitar Sonata in E Minor, Op. 31, No. 4
Guitar Sonata in D Major, Op. 31, No. 5
Guitar Sonata in B Minor, Op. 31, No. 6

Czech composer and guitarist Wenzel Thomas Matiegka or in its native spelling Václav Tomáš Matějka (1773-1830), was an accomplished pianist and guitarist, though later in life settled down into a position as a choir director and focused his attention on writing liturgical music. He was a contemporary of composers such as Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Muzio Clementi for example. And it's to the latter that I would most closely associate his style, as there is something Italianate to his writing. This is not guitar music per se, but rather traditional sonata form music meant to be performed on the guitar. This may sound like one and the same, but is conceptually worlds apart. It could just as easily be played on the piano and compare well with a Mozart piano sonata for example.

And that seems to be precisely the approach that guitarist David Starobin has applied to these classical period works. The melodic line, dynamic phrasing, classical countenance and demeanour, are all front and center. Even the instrument chosen for this recording is a 1935 Viennese modeled Hermann Hauser guitar. David Starobin, whose day job and title are "Founder and Director of Artists & Repertoire at Bridge Records", has released dozens upon dozens of recordings spanning classical to "new music" (most of which actually dedicated to him), including many collaborations with American composer George Crumb. There is a self-effacing quality to his playing, whereby the music itself takes center stage. A character trait unfortunately in very short supply these days.