Matthew McAllister / Merula @ Tokafi.com

It has almost become a general consensus that classical and contemporary repertoire need to be treated fundamentally different. “Merula”, however, works exactly because it defies the dogma. For his debut album, Matthew McAllister has taken the liberty of showing his abilties within the most diverse contexts, of organising a time-travel package through the ages and of recording his own interpretations of “a choice selection of classic guitar repertoire, alongside newer styles of contemporary guitar music.”

Agnew & McAllister / Recital @ Classical Guitar

The Agnew/McAllister duo once again show their talents as arrangers in a superb presentation of the Fantasie from “Carmen” where Aisling Agnew displays her highly polished, fluid technique to its best advantage … Throughout this recording the duo handles all the technical and musical requirements with aplomb and have produced a most alluring disc.

Agnew & McAllister / Recital @ Tokafi.com

If you can’t catch this duo live, then “Recital” is the next best thing … a work which lures you into loving it by its unintrusive nature … it is vivid and full of the pleasure of being alive