Dutch magazine Luister has rated Sean Shibe’s Vesper a 9 out of 10, with critic Paul Janssen singling out Thomas Adès’s Forgotten Dances as having the potential to become one of the most important guitar works of the twenty-first century.
The review situates the album within England’s vibrant late-twentieth-century guitar scene, led by Julian Bream and John Williams, noting that Harrison Birtwistle’s Beyond the White Hand: Construction with Guitar Player also emerged partly through Bream’s advocacy. Janssen calls Shibe one of the most adventurous guitarists of the moment, emphatically taking over the torch from Bream, and highlights the album’s two world premiere works written specifically for Shibe.
James Dillon’s 12 Caprices are praised as interesting miniatures revealing various aspects of the guitar, with Janssen noting that Shibe performs the demanding score throughout with fabulous technique and an equally impressive overview.
Vesper is out now on PENTATONE.
