The unique guitar duo The Czar's Guitars was founded in 2004 by the well-known lute and guitar virtuoso, John Schneiderman and Oleg Timofeyev, the expert on the Russian seven-string guitar. The musicians joined their forces to revive the legacy of the Russian guitar, the instrument that unlike it's Western-European cousin is only now gaining the respect and recognition it deserves.
Souvenirs of Russia is considered to be a Russian tribute to the Spanish composer, Fernando Sor (1778-1839), or even more specifically, to his famous guitar duet Souvenir de Russie (Op. 63). Sor's masterpiece is the foundation of this album. It is surrounded with real Russian guitar music that would create an unusual context for Sor's piece and would also illustrate how the Russian musical culture was organically connected to the repertoires in Western and Central Europe.
