SEPTEMBER 2026 NEW ON NAXOS
© Francesco Rocco
About the Bluvenduo The musical collaboration between Zhanxiang (Joshua) Shi (China) and Sebastian Robles (Canada) began in San Francisco in 2018 during their first year of study under the guidance of Judicaël Perroy. Bluvenduo has since performed in San Francisco, Paris and Geneva, and throughout North America, and was awarded First Prize at the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Ensemble competition in 2025. Since its inception, the duo has continued to diversify its repertoire with pieces that are enhanced by the simultaneously expressive and percussive sound of the guitar, including many of its own arrangements, which are taken from the ‘grand ré pertoire ’, and aspire to present masterworks by Rachmaninov, Schubert and Schumann on two guitars while keeping the musical integrity of the original compositions.
Other works for guitar duo
‘The arrangements themselves are beautiful, maximising the use of various effects such as palm muting and artificial harmonics to evoke not just the sounds of the orchestra but the sights and smells of the Spanish campo. The performances, too, are beautiful…’ – Gramophone A madeus Das Klassik- & Jazz-Magazin
‘Yuri Liberson and his guest partner Piotr Pakhomkin, both superb technicians, make the most of the delightfully dense patterns of the score.’ – Fanfare
‘This disc is a fine example of contemporary music that stretches the listener’s ears but not to the point of breaking, performed by two excellent artists who have combined their talents to move the art form forward.’ – American Record Guide
‘These duets are anything but purely virtuosic, for they contain music rich in melody… This in any case is conveyed by the two guitarists of the Skogmo-Franke duo, who play expressively with great sensitivity and inspiration. It is a guitar playing that speaks to you in a very special way, because it builds a communicative bridge to the listener that immediately captures him.’ – Pizzicato
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