Sam Cave writes in the album notes: “For every note the guitar can play there are an infinite number of tone colors waiting to be coaxed from its body.” This is demonstrated very well in this collection of very new works, which extend the tone palette of the guitar in many ways, from the still, almost mantra-like’ Refracted Meditation III by the performer, to complex and thickly-textured works by Fox and Murail, two distinctive sonatas by George Holloway and the almost alien soundworld conjured up by Horatiu Radulescu in the only work which introduces electronics (taped sounds) alongside the pure acoustics of the guitar. The contrast between Cave’s sparse, single line interspersed with gentle chords, and Murail’s transfer of spectral cluster technique, is exceptional. Sam Cave is quickly becoming established as one of the leading exponents of new music for guitar, with performances at leading venues around the UK and Europe. He has performed dozens of world premieres in the last decade as soloist and as a member of the Octandre Ensemble. As a composer, his works have been performed in eight countries by some of the most exciting soloists and ensembles of today. Sam plays a ‘super-concert’ guitar by Dutch luthier Jerome Hilhorst.