Album Notes

JOHN MURATORE performs regularly as a solo guitarist, chamber musician and concerto soloist, appearing throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Russia. He has performed with numerous ensembles including Alea III, the Spectrum Singers, the Mastersingers and Counterpoint. He has worked closely with many composers to produce new solo and chamber works for the guitar, and has premiered works by Daniel Pinkham, Scott Wheeler, Roger Zahab and John Appleton, to name a few. Mr. Muratore has been the featured soloist at the Academie Festival des Arcs, the Aspen Music Festival, the St. Petersburg (Russia) Chamber Concert Series and the Atelier International Concert Series in Paris. In 1996 John was awarded First Prize in Alpha Delta Kappa Foundation's National Competition for String Players. The Boston Globe has described him as "a fleet-fingered and musicanly performer" and has characterized his playing as "....unleashing so many different varieties of tone and color in quick succession....a kind of aural iridescence." John is on the faculties of Boston University and Dartmouth College and is coordinator of the guitar program at the All Newton Music School. He resides in Boston with his wife, opera director Patricia Weinmann and their two children.

Shadow Box features the music of five composers whose styles do not fall within the traditional boundaries of classical music. From William Walton’s ever-popular Five Bagatelles to Astor Pizzaolla’s tango-influenced Cinco Piezas, the CD progresses through a fascinating landscape of contemporary guitar music. Two world premiere recordings, Scott Wheeler’s haunting Shadow Box and Larry Bell’s stunningly inventive Celestial Refrain are included on this recording. Frederic Hand’s Trilogy, which pays tribute to three giants of jazz, Chick Corea, Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck, rounds out this eclectic program.