One of the world's most sought-after guitar ensembles, The Brazilian Guitar Quartet was formed to explore the new possibilities offered by combining traditional six-string instruments with the eight-string guitar developed by quartet member Paul Galbraith, and now played on this recording by both Paul and Everton Gloeden. The BGQ's début CD "Essência do Brasil" (DE 3245) has been showered with praise not only in the U.S. and Brazil but also in France, England and Japan, and made Audiophile Edition's "Best Recordings of 1999" list.

Paul Galbraith first won public acclaim in Great Britain when at the age of 17 his performance at the Segovia International Guitar Competition won him the Silver Medal. Segovia, who was present for the competition, called his playing "magnificent."

His career has included engagements with some of the finest international orchestras (Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, BBC Philharmonic, Scottish Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra, Scottish Baroque Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra among them). He has toured the U.S., Canada, Spain, Italy, Greece, the Czech Republic, Norway, Hungary, Brazil, China, India and Iceland. Together with the St. Petersburg String Quartet he has commissioned a new Quintet for Guitar and Strings from the Georgian Composer Zurab Nadarejshvili, which they will premiere in 2001.

Paul Galbraith's double CD of the Complete Solo Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas (DE 3232) was nominated for a 1998 Grammy® Award in the category of Best Solo Instrumental Album. This recording was also chosen as one of the two best CDs of 1998 by Gramophone Magazine, which called it "a landmark in the history of guitar recordings." This recording received a "Four Star" rating in Stereo Review, and reached the TOP 10 of the classical charts in Billboard Magazine.

In Galbraith's unique playing style, his eight-string guitar is supported by a metal endpin, similar to that of a cello, which rests on a wooden resonance box. Born in Scotland, he has lived in Brazil since 1996.

Edelton Gloeden is one of the most outstanding Brazilian guitarists today. He began his professional career at an early age, appearing in recitals, chamber ensembles and soloist with orchestra. He gave innumerable first performances of works by Brazilian composers, such as Francisco Mignone, Camargo Guarnieri, Cláudio Santoro, Mario Ficarelli, Olivier Toni, Gilberto Mendes, Paulo Costa Lima and Paulo Porto Alegre.

He holds a professorship at the Department of Music of the University of São Paulo and is a familiar figure at music festivals throughout Brazil. Edelton Gloeden is presenter and producer of (and brains behind) the Guitar in the Concert Era, a program broadcast weekly by Rádio USP-FM of São Paulo, since August 1994, and other series such as Guitar, Paths of Sound and Guitar, Great Concertos, broadcast by Rádio Cultura FM of São Paulo, one of the most important classical radio stations in Latin America.

He performs Brazilian music, old and new, in A Brazilian Celebration, released by the Paulus label (Brazil) in 1998 with the flautist José Ananias.

Throughout a twenty-year career, Everton Gloeden has appeared as soloist and chamber music colleague alongside some of the most important musicians in and outside of Brazil.

Gloeden won 2nd Prize in two important guitar contests: the Palestrina International Competition in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and the Hof International Competition in Germany. He also won a scholarship to Cambridge, England from the Vitae Foundation.

His albums include a disc of Latin American guitar music for the American OEA label, a recording of Bach's complete lute music, and a recital disc including the José Sonata and Ponce's Folias de España Variations for the São Paulo EGTA label.

He scripted and presented the series 6 Strings-Panorama of the Guitar in the 20th Century for São Paulo's Radio Cultura FM Station, one of the most important classical radio stations in Latin America.

Gloeden studied with Henrique Pinto, Guido Santórsola, Eduardo Fernandez and Abel Carlevaro. He holds a Masters in Musicology from the University of São Paulo.

He has given recitals at the Hall of the Americas in Washington DC, gave the first performance in Brazil of the complete lute works of Bach, as well as recitals in England, Germany (including the Frankfurt Opera House) and a recent opening recital at the International Festival of Caracas, Venezuela, one of the most esteemed of its kind in the world.

Born in São Paulo, Tadeu do Amaral began his musical studies at the age of ten. Among his first teachers were Vital Medeiros, Isaias Savio, Léo Soares, and later Theodoro Nogueira, Marília Pini, Walter Lourenção and Claudio Santoro. He took part in many music seminars including one directed by Alberto Ginastera.

Beside a solo career including performances in Brazil's major concert halls, he has collaborated with many of Brazil's preeminent musicians, including Flávio Stein, Eduardo Gramani, Maria Alice and Zélia Brandão, Angela Barra and Ricardo Lopes Garcia.

Do Amaral has an extremely active career in the state of Santa Catarina. Through a variety of activities in many cities, he has had a pioneering role in teaching and widening the appreciation of guitar in a region in which it was relatively unknown. In recent years he has taught at the music festivals of Londrina and Cascavel, and adjudicated at those of Minas Gerais, Joinville and Florianópolis.

In 1993 and 1995 respectively, he released the CDs "Música Espanhola" and the collected works of Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, both of which were highly praised in journals including Classic CD and Guitar Player.

Since 1985, when he gave a series of recitals of works by English composers, Tadeu do Amaral has specialized in presenting comprehensive cycles, including the guitar works by the Polish composer Alexandre Tansman, and lute works of Bach.