Raphaëlla Smits, the Belgium grande dame of the guitar, has spent decades making memorable recordings, many of them for the Accent label. • This recital, containing pieces by the blind, Argentinean by way of Spain Antonio Jiménez Manjón (1866-1919), appeared in 1999, and did admirable justice to a composer whose name – despite the high quality of his melodiousness music – has not figured frequently on recordings. • The Vicente Arias (1833-1914) guitar of 1899 used for this recital came from the collection of Narciso Yepes in Madrid, Spain. • A total of about two dozen Arias instruments are known to exist.
