The Russian Collection Vol. 6 : guitar. Performing score.

Published as Volume 6 of Editions Orphee's ongoing Russian Collection, the contents of this latest addition represent four or five highly productive days in the life of Boris Asafiev (1884-1949).

A composer and critic whose influence resulted in his becoming the only musician elected to full membership of the Academy of Science, Asafiev's enthusiasm for the six-string guitar was, according to the editor's preface, first recorded in a rave review of Segovia he wrote in 1926.

It was, however, another thirteen years before he started composing for the guitar, and Segovia never got to see the results.

With the exception of Six Romances in the Old Style (composed Leningrad 1940), the entire contents of this album appear ta have been produced from September 10-14, 1939.

It seems likely that the Twelve Preludes were first to arrive, No. 1 being little more than a rudimentary exploration of open string sonorities.

The content soon becomes more developed, and by No. 3 Asafiev is demanding intricate arpeggio figures and dense chromatic chord progressions, most of which fit on the fingerboard remarkably well.

Similarly guitar-friendly are the Two Etudes and the Theme with Variations and Finale after Tchaikovsky, the latter being marked as the second movement of Concerto in G, the guitar parts for which Asafiev also completed during the same fruitful innings.

The real discovery, however, is Prelude et Valse . . . a charming and sophisticated piece of music whose debut on the international stage is long overdue.

Presentation is up to the usual high standard, and all sources are revealed in full . . . I have no hesitation in recommending a first rate publication whose purchase is justified by Prelude et Valse alone." Paul Fowles, Classical GuitarInstrumentation:guitar