From Bridge Records, whose catalogue includes a recording of W.T. Matiegka’s Six Sonatas, op. 31, performed on a Viennese style guitar by David Starobin:
“Wenzel Thomas Matiegka (1773-1830) was born in the town of Choceň in the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Habsburg monarchy. Matiegka became an accomplished pianist while reading law at the University of Prague. After legal employment in the service of Prince Ferdinand Kinský, Matiegka moved to Vienna and was quickly acknowledged as a leading composer of solo and chamber music featuring the guitar. Young Franz Schubert arranged and re-scored Matiegka’s Notturno, op. 21, adding an exceptionally elaborate cello part. On 6 July 2023, in Matiegka’s native Choceň, performances and celebrations are scheduled to honor the city’s native son on his 250th birthday.“
Starobin regards Matiegka’s sonatas as “in their time, the pinnacle of expression on the guitar, offering the most detailed notation of both articulation and character–a clear window onto performance style in the era of Beethoven and Schubert.”
“These works unfold with a spectrum of creative possibility, especially in Starobin’s eloquent hands. The guitarist brings refinement to every turn of phrase, whether the music is marching, dancing or crying. This recording is a swansong to savor.” – Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone
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MEMETERIA by Thomas May 