Ponce Guitar Sonatas features guitarist María Esther Guzmán on this album from IBS Classical. It is Exclusively Available in Stereo DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD at NativeDSD.

Unquestionably Manuel María Ponce stands as one of the composers for the classical guitar of all time. Rare would be the virtuoso who does not acknowledge his brilliance.

However, to reach such heights, history had to gift us a providential encounter with the greatest ambassador of the guitar in the 20th century: Andrés Segovia. Their profound relationship of friendship, respect, and admiration, evidenced through a fraternal correspondence and declarations, began in 1923.

At that time, Ponce was a professor of Harmony at the National Conservatory of Mexico and a music critic. The first of the sonatas was the Mexican Sonata (1923), inspired by the characteristics of Mexican musical nationalism and with certain nods to impressionism. Sonata III (1927), clearly influenced by European and Spanish music. The Classic Sonata (1928), a tribute to Fernando Sor. Romantic Sonata (1929), a tribute to Schubert.

I must acknowledge my admiration for Ponce’s sonatas, dating back to my time at the Seville Higher Conservatory. I found them to be of a very advanced language for their time, yet supported by a solid ENG María Esther Guzmán 17 structure, which gave them their own personality, not to mention their undeniable quality. Each of the sonatas unfolds a different universe, recreating past eras, yet full of modernity, through Manuel Ponce’s very personal rhythmic and harmonic-melodic textures.

María Esther Guzmán, Guitar

Note: 
The mp3 demo tracks below are not in the correct order. We are working on the solution now, and we thank you for your patience.