Discography

Napoléon Coste: Guitar Works, Vol. 6 (2023)

The publication of a facsimile edition of Napoléon Coste’s complete works in the 1980s brought the composer-guitarist’s name before the public after decades of neglect. A student of Sor, he was the most eminent French guitarist of the 19th century and a creative innovator. Fantaisie symphonique shows the range of his ambition with its quasi-orchestral textures, swift mood changes and virtuoso flourishes. Le Départ is one his most popular extended pieces, full of liquid transitions. The other works demonstrate the variety of his art – the multitude of techniques employed, his mastery of texture and attractive intricacy.

Stay, My Beloved: Vietnamese Guitar Music (2020)

Encompassing the rich and spiritual music of Vietnam, this captivating album is brilliantly performed by “Vietnamese guitar virtuoso”, An Tran. Stay, My Beloved, engages and elevates the auditory experience through its arrangements of traditional folk songs to its modern compositions. An Tran‘s virtuosic technical ability can be heard throughout the recording alongside his beautiful and melodic phrasing. One can imagine the landscapes of Vietnam through the musical paintings in this album, as in Central Highlands of Vietnam. Listeners can also hear An’s personal stories from the composition his parents used to sing to him (Stay, My Beloved and Drifting Duckweeds, Floating Clouds). This album also features the world premiere recording of Ru Con, a lullaby written by The-An Nguyen and dedicated to An Tran for his Toronto Debut at the Guitar Society of Toronto in 2019.