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The Christmas season is all about family, and this special CD has a lovely family connection. Jose and John Troncoso are a father-son classical guitar duo, and their Classical Guitars Christmas is a delightful joint effort. Ever since he was a young boy, John played the holiday music arranged by his father, and now the son has committed to record his father's extensive library of music, beginning with this Christmas collection. These two gentlemen are each accomplished guitarists in their own right, and the combination certain yields beautiful music.

The recording itself is somewhat unusual. John recorded and mixed this release, and he specifically sought to replicate a live concert. To do so, he recorded the right and left channels simultaneously, placing his father in the right channel and his own guitar in the left. This approach creates somewhat severe separation when listening to the music using headphones;it is as though the father is playing into one ear, and the son has the other. When I switched to full stereo sound in my living room, the results were a more natural mix, providing a genuinely "live" feel; the two Troncosos were right there, performing just for me. The sound quality is remarkably crisp and clean.

Classical guitars generally produce a warmer, more mellow sound than do steel strings, and Classical Guitars Christmas is faithful to that general rule. The guitars are perfectly matched, and the chemistry between the two players shines brightly. The wealth of experience between father and son is very apparent; the interplay of their instruments is an absolute delight. On Il Est Ne, Le Divin Enfant, the two guitars chase each other round for round, and on the father's own sweet creation, The Chimes, it is fun to hear the guitarists trade off on clock chimes. My favorite track is the excellent closing Christmas Medley with its sophisticated layers of sound.

Sadly, Classical Guitars Christmas draws to a close after only 33 minutes, but the concert is wonderful while it lasts. Fans of classical guitars should embrace this loving family tribute for the holidays--so sweet!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

John Troncoso: Classical Guitar, Left Channel
Jose Troncoso: Classical Guitar, Right Channel

Recorded and Mixed by John Troncoso
Mastered by Kevin Nettleingham, Nettleingham Audio, Vancouver, WA
Produced by John Troncoso
Associate Producer: Jose A. Troncoso

All numbers arranged by Jose A. Troncoso
"In Excelsis Deo" and "Christmas Medley" arranged by Jose and John Troncoso
"The Chimes" is an original composition of Jose A. Troncoso

My father, Jose Troncoso, has been composing and arranging songs for classical guitar since the early 1970s. In fact, some of the first songs I can remember ever having played in public are traditional Christmas songs that he arranged for two guitars when I was between six and nine years of age. Although we have played these songs numerous times over the years, they were never recorded. So when I started producing what I hope to be a series of recordings of my father's music, I thought it fitting to begin with some of the first songs we ever played together as a father-son duo.

This album was recorded with the goal of having the music sound as if it were being performed live, and without some of the sterility resulting from common, modern day recording studio practices. In an attempt to accomplish that, both left and right channels were performed and recorded simultaneoulsy, without absolute isolation, and without any usage of a click track or quantization after the fact.

John and Jose Troncoso

Classical Guitars Christmas

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Track List