24 Preludes Book 1

“ . . . Biberian’s “Preludes” have been praised for some years in the British press, and their publication has been awaited eagerly. I am pleased to report that they are worth the wait. . . When an edition offers “24 Preludes,” there may be a presumption that there will be a piece in each of the major and minor keys, but that is not the case here. Ouite a few of the Preludes are tonal, but do not fall into such a key-sequence scheme, while otherc have no well-defined tonal centers. Many of these pieces could function equally well as etudes, since each tends to feature a particular type of figuration, presenting specific technical and musical problems to be solved. Each Prelude has a descriptive subtitle to help the player ferret out the musical concept behind the piece (“Tombeau,” “Arabesques,” “Las Campanelas,” “The River,” “The Sufi,” etc.). Often intricate and complex, these Preludes are intended for a fairly advanced player, although there are no fearsome technical obstacles. They are composed skillfully and effectively for the guitar, with instrumental possibilities and constraints firmly in mind." David Grimes, Soundboard.