Dreams & Fancies Sean Shibe

• William Walton (1902-1983): 5 Bagatelles:
• 1 5 Bagatelles: No. 1, Allegro 04:12
• 2 5 Bagatelles: No. 2, Lento 03:06
• 3 5 Bagatelles: No. 3, Alla cubana 02:28
• 4 5 Bagatelles: No. 4, Sempre espressivo 01:47
• 5 5 Bagatelles: No. 5, Con slancio 02:23
• Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989): Guitar Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1:
• 6 Guitar Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1: I. Allegretto 05:29
• 7 Guitar Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1: II. Lento 03:59
• 8 Guitar Sonatina, Op. 52, No. 1: III. Rondo. Allegro non troppo 03:37
• John Dowland (1563-1626):
• 9 Praeludium, P. 98 01:21
• 10 Forlorn Hope Fancy, P. 2 04:01
• 11 Fantasia in G Major, P. 1 04:17
• Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006): Fantasy, Op. 107:
• 12 Fantasy, Op. 107: I. Prelude 01:21
• 13 Fantasy, Op. 107: II. Scherzo 02:52
• 14 Fantasy, Op. 107: III. Arietta I 02:03
• 15 Fantasy, Op. 107: IV. Fughetta 01:11
• 16 Fantasy, Op. 107: V. Arietta II 01:40
• 17 Fantasy, Op. 107: VI. March 01:41
• 18 Fantasy, Op. 107: VII. Postlude 01:12
• Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70:
• 19 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: I. Musingly 02:15
• 20 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: II. Very Agitated 00:47
• 21 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: III. Restless 01:26
• 22 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: IV. Uneasy 01:21
• 23 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: V. March-Like 01:31
• 24 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: VI. Dreaming 01:51
• 25 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: VII. Gently Rocking 01:11
• 26 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: VIII. Passacaglia 04:34
• 27 Nocturnal After John Dowland (Reflections on "Come, Heavy Sleep"), Op. 70: IX. Slow & Quiet 02:39
• Total Runtime 01:06:15

Info for Dreams & Fancies

Barely half a century ago, the guitar was such a rarity in the concert hall that even an outstanding player like Julian Bream was remarkable as a pioneer as much as for his exceptional technique and musicality. Today, by contrast, the field is richly populated – thanks not only to Bream’s own inspiring example to younger players but also to the vastly increased repertoire, so much of which he also instigated.

Yet even in this new heyday for the instrument, Sean Shibe – whose full album debut here nests among four of those Bream-commissioned works a clutch of Dowland pieces from a previous Elizabethan Golden Age – stands out as a truly uncommon talent. ‘I want to hear his interpretation of Britten’s Nocturnal over and over,’ wrote David Nice in an awed recent concert review. ‘This, for me, is the definitive performance.’

Sean Shibe, classical guitar

Sean Shibe
Born in Edinburgh in 1992 of English and Japanese heritage, Sean studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and currently with the inspirational Paolo Pegoraro in Italy.

In 2012 he became the first guitarist to be selected for the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme, and the only solo guitarist to be awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. He was selected by Young Classical Artists Trust in 2015.

Over the last year Sean has given recitals at Wigmore Hall, the Heidelberger-Frühling, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Bath International, Cambridge Summer and Aldeburgh Festivals. He returned to the Marlboro Summer Music Festival & Academy in the USA (on the invitation of Mitsuko Uchida), recorded solo works by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies for Linn Records as part of a Scottish Chamber Orchestra disc, and was the featured cover disc for BBC Music Magazine.

Engagements during 2016/17 include recitals at Wigmore Hall, Saffron Hall, the Three Palaces Festival in Malta, the Cumnock Tryst, Northern Chords and Newbury Spring Festivals, and a tour of China. He also brings together acoustic and electric guitars; ancient and modern traditions in his new project softLOUD, which premieres at the East Neuk Festival, followed by a week’s residency at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Earlier this year he recorded a CD of English music for Delphian due for release shortly. Future plans include debut concerts in Tokyo and Nagoya.

As a concerto soloist Sean has appeared with the BBC Scottish Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Symphony Orchestras performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasía para un Gentilhombre, the Malcolm Arnold and Villa-Lobos Concertos, and recording Takemitsu’s To the Edge of Dream.

Drawn to chamber music and song, Sean has collaborated with the BBC Singers, Danish String Quartet, cellist Isang Enders, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and singers Ben Johnson, Robert Murray and Robert Tritschler.

His awards include the Royal Over-Seas League First Prize and Gold Medal (2011), Ivor Mairants Guitar Award (2009), a Dewar Arts and D’Addarrio endorsement. He is grateful for support from the Hattori Trust.

Booklet for Dreams & Fancies