Leonhard von Call (1767-1815) was an Austrian composer and guitarist mainly known for his chamber works and vocal works which totaled at around 150. Little has been documented and it was believed that he only pursued music as a hobby but gradually became famous enough to attract commissions from the bourgeoisie and gentry. The two Serenades Op.84 and Op.99 amount to 12 tuneful movements that are reminiscent of Mozart yet with a Romantic twist in the "Romanze" and two "Polonaises". The articulate dialogue in "Thema con Variazioni" of Op.99 is Beethovenian in scope, with occasional cadenza-like crossfires between both instruments.


Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer (1783-1860) was German composer and cellist who composed concertos, chamber music and studies for the instrument. The Potpourri is technically brilliant and sonically dashing, its dramatic introduction one of the most enchanting cello-guitar collaborations.


Wenzeslaus Thomas Matiegka (1773-1830) was a Czech composer and pianist who made his name in Vienna where he became a master of the guitar with a prolific output and transcriptions based on works of composers no less than Mozart and Beethoven. Maruri has discovered quite a number of his works and become a champion of this underestimated composer. The work recorded here is the highly entertaining Potpourri en Forma de Serenade Op.30 with wo romantic "Adagios" interspersed with the spirited "Minuetto" and "Pollacca". My favorite is the final movement "Thema con Variazioni" that turns Mozart’s Don Juan aria into a musical kaleidoscope.


Superb sonic quality captures the rare beauty of the cello and guitar duo in the most uncontrived of ways.