“THE GUITAR OF STEPAN RAK.†Nimbus NI 5177 (compact disc).
The 44-year-old Czech composer-guitarist has an instrumental technique that is as far-reaching as his compositional imagination--which is far indeed. This recording brings together six of his pieces: “Sonata Mongoliana,†“Czech Fairy Tales,†Elegy, “Voces de Profundis,†Variations on a theme by John Duarte and Tango. Most of them employ many extended techniques and all are sonically vivid--whether in the eerie moods of the “Psychoâ€-inspired “Voces†or in the salon sweetness of the Tango--and dizzily difficult.