Must have for Lute fans
4th in the 7 vol Naxos collection of Sylvius Leopold Weiss lute sonati. THE premiere lute composer and performer in the history of the instrument, he heavily influenced Bach's writing for the instrument. Like his almost exact contemporary Bach (he was born just a yr after), Weiss brings the art of the lute and esp the Baroque lute to its maximum potential in both technique and composition. After Weiss, there was really no place to go with the lute and its popularity--as with Baroque in general--rapidly declined after his 1750 death. Barto is brilliant lutenist, bringing virtuoso technique as well as complete mastery of the material to the table. If Barto does quite match the brillance of Lutz Kirchhof, he more than makes up for it with the quantity of outstanding performances.
