Quintetto Per Chitarra E Quartetto D'Archi, Op. 143 / Suite Antica In La Maggiore/Sonata Romantica In La Maggiore

This 1981 release on the EMI label pairs the works of Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Mexican composer Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar. The central focus is Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet, Op. 143, a piece composed in 1950 specifically for the virtuoso Andrés Segovia. The recording features the renowned Venezuelan guitarist Alirio Díaz, whose technical precision and interpretive depth were instrumental in bringing twentieth-century guitar chamber music to broader international acclaim during the mid-to-late century.

The album serves as a significant document of the collaboration between Díaz and the Allegri String Quartet, a British ensemble founded in 1953 that earned a reputation for its cohesive, nuanced approach to the classical and romantic repertoire. The inclusion of works like Ponce’s Sonata Romantica highlights the period’s effort to bridge the gap between historical guitar techniques and contemporary classical structures. Released in Italy under the 3C prefix, this pressing captures a golden era of classical guitar chamber music, emphasizing the lyrical and contrapuntal capabilities of the instrument within a formal quartet setting.