Poor Branch

Devoted to the music of Ivan Klinger, this album of premiere recordings from guitarist James Akers highlights works from this relatively unknown composer. Klinger's seeming anonymity belies the composer's substantial and high-quality oeuvre. Born in 1818 in Seltz near Kherson (today's Ukraine), Klinger was one of the few guitarists to devote himself to the Western style six-string guitar. Featuring both original compositions and arrangements of other works, Klinger's playful and serious, virtuosic and challenging music here receives the attention that is long overdue.