Canada’s The Wholenote has highlighted Sean Shibe’s Vesper, praising the guitarist’s technique for producing a startlingly wide range of unique, and, often, totally new sonorities across the album’s premiere recordings.
The PENTATONE release brings together guitar works by Thomas Adès, Harrison Birtwistle, and James Dillon, framed by Shibe as an exploration of the guitar’s potential in the first quarter of the 21st century. The review points to the album’s extensive booklet essays by Hugh Morris and Jonathan Leathwood, which trace the intricate relationships behind the music — including the Julian Bream-commissioned Beyond the White Hand, developed with input from Bream, Birtwistle, and his son Silas.
The Wholenote notes that Shibe performs on Hauser-style guitars built by luthier Simon Ambridge, a connection made through Bream’s circle, and calls the result an integrated recital of the highest musical quality.
Vesper is out now on PENTATONE.
