Hisaishi: My Neighbour Totoro Suite

“The arrangements presented on this disc are almost uniformly excellent. The playing of the members of the Mela Guitar Quartet is impeccable, and their ensemble work is of a similarly high standard. The recorded sound is top class, with the balance between the instruments very nearly perfect, and subtle variations of timbre are well captured.”

“The arrangements, by past and present quartet members, invariably hit the mark, Daniel Bovey’s miniature suite based on Joe Hisaishi’s My Neighbour Totoro film score a delightful closer. TRPTK’s production values are high end, and the documentation is excellent.”

“This collection of pieces pushes the boundaries of how guitar quartets can be employed, but always in a way that best suits the story, lyrical beauty and often childlike wonder of these works.”

“This is guitar ensemble music at the very highest level, technically brilliant, with all the varieties known to modern “classical” guitar playing and musically absolutely convincing. A CD that is simply fun!”

“The quartet's reputation is confirmed by these renditions to be at the absolute top and the recording is — we already know it from Brendon Heinst — in a class of its own. The balance between the four instruments is perfect, just as the exquisite timbres come to life particularly beautifully.”

“Sometimes it is hard to believe that you are really listening to four guitars, and not a harpsichord, a celesta, a chopping board or even a harp. The Mela Guitar Quartet convinces with glowing interplay in music by Debussy, Ravel, Glinka, Elgar and Joe Hisaishi (from the Japanese animated classic My Neighbor Totoro), among others. Delightful.”

“Playing instruments crafted by British luthier Michael Gee, the award-winning quartet exploits the timbral potential of the guitar to create new versions that don't necessarily replicate the familiar arrangements of the works through transcription but instead recast the material anew. The dense, intricate tapestries presented throughout the release by Mela Guitar Quartet beguile from start to finish, and the stellar playing by the group is never less than exacting.”

“I'm truly impressed by a few recordings each year, and rarely am I overawed, like I am by Mēla. It's not only that these four guitarists play as one or that they do so with palpable allure and glamour, but that they also have the most accurate fingers I've heard yet in the classical guitar world. Can four nylon-stringed hollow bodies replace an entire orchestra? When they play this merrily and with such attention to tonal variety, abso-damn-lutely.”