George Dimitrov's new Bach CD for Naxos

There are some moments on your path as a teacher that mark important goals. The realization of George Dimitrov's CD for Naxos on Bach is certainly one of these for me.

In the six years working together at the KUG, Bach was one of the authors always present, starting from 1006a, the PFA 998 to end with 1001 and the glorious Ciaccona 1004. From my side, looking to the extraordinary talent of George, I always tried to put at his disposal everything I knew and I had discovered about years of research concerning Bach, his music and life, the Baroque style, the dances, the counterpoint, the Italian and French styles, the rhetoric, the feeling it is necessary to play this repertoire and of course, everything related to its execution on the guitar, an instrument that did not even exist in the physiognomy known today. What a joy therefore that all this work, carried out with passion, exploratory spirit, determination, sacrifice, is today testified by this recording that was the prize won by George in 2022 at 1st European Bach Guitar Award of Darmstadt where, in the jury, sat names such as Hopkinson Smith, Pablo Marquez, Raphaella Smits, Ricardo Gallen, Tilman Hoppstock, Carlo Marchione, Margarita Escarpa, Thomas Müller-Pering and many others (among other things, two other students of mine have won the second and fourth places).

In my opinion, there are some records in the history of guitar that have enormously changed the way of interpreting the music of the genius of Eisenach; I think of those of Manuel Barrueco, Tilman Hoppstock, Stephan Schmidt, Ricardo Gallen, Judicael Perroy, the videos of David Russell for Omni Foundation. I hope this work can participate to this extraordinary evolution. Well done George. Really outstanding!!!The CD can be listen on all main digital platforms.