​​​Aaron Spoor

"This album by California guitarist Aaron Spoor is noteworthy for what is claimed to be a 'premiere recording' of a composition by Clarice Assad, daughter of the renowned Sergio Assad. 'Saudades' is a beautiful, haunting work and the connotation of the title, that of yearing or longing for someone or something departed is perfectly captured.
   Also recorded for the first time is Spoor's own 'Sans Souci', a pleasent and attractive contempory work which is of a gentle nature and quite worthy of being the album's title track."
                                               ~Steve Marsh, Classical Guitar Magazine:

                                                          review of Spoor's album Sans Souci

"Here is a modestly conceived yet completely enjoyable collection of traditional classical guitar works. The key to the success of this undertaking is the unfussy, self-confident playing of Spoor, and his plangent and technically secure tone. Spoor is a young California based musician, and plays in the clean, alert manner of such masters as Williams, Parkening and Russell. Others might present the Latin material here with a bit more rhythmic play, but Spoor opts to let the music speak for itself. This is not to say that his musicianship is straight-laced. There is plenty of nuance in manners of phrasing and dynamics, but no self-imposed personality. His playing is, in a word, elegant."

                                              ~Peter Burwasser, Fanefare Magazine: 

                                                        review of Spoor's album Sans Souci

"Aaron Spoor plays with flair, sensitivity, and stylistic awareness in this varied recital that, except for the Satie, is oriented towards the Latin end of the musical spectrum. Pacing, phrasing, tone, nuance, speed, and agility are handled with the assurance of a natural musician. In the Moreno-Torroba, Spoor plays the familiar Manzanares el Real with well-judged contrast between the steady tread of the rhythmic opening and the lyrical second subject. He’s dreamy and reflective in Torija Elegia and captures the folk dance exuberance of Turegano: Serranilla while affectingly communicating the delicate pathos of the somewhat darker lyrical episode. The Barrios-Mangoré Waltzes are all charm and nostalgia, played with subtle rhythmic fluctuations that nonetheless don’t fragment the melodic flow. Spoor’s slightly astringent tone in Satie’s Gnossiennes compliments their antique mysteriousness: He keeps them moving without dispelling their essential gravity. The last three selections share a similarity of mood and yet emerge as individual meditations. Clarice Assad’s Saudades is infused with that sense of yearning that the title implies: Spoor plays it with sympathy and a pervasive wistfulness.

     The guitarist’s Sans Souci, built on a recurring five-note phrase flowingly supported by arpeggios as it moves through different harmonies blends nicely with Saudades but seems less sad. Lastly, the vaguely mournful Brouwer showcases the guitar’s loveliness as a vehicle for melancholy serenades. Sound is very good, clean, not overly resonant but far from dry, and flatters the guitar’s warm, eloquent voice."
       
                                               ~Robert Schulslaper, Fanfare Magazine

"Spoor emphasizes the lyrical on this disc, though his technique seems adequate to any demands the music makes on him. But whereas flash, rhythmic sparks, and the impression of lightening-speed fingerwork can be the hallmark of some guitar recitals, this one is marked much more by cantabile lines, muted colors, and genuine warmth. Spoor’s playing is sensitive, lovingly shaped and shaded, and intimate. His own piece, Sans souci, is quite haunting, though the highlight of the disc for me is Federico Moreno-Torroba’s Elegia from Castillos de España. It’s main tune stays in the memory."



                                               ~Henry Fogel, Fanfare Magazine:
                                                             review of Spoor's album Sans Souci

"Sans Souci is a highly expressive and refined recording by classical guitarist Aaron Spoor. Spoor is able to create a romantic and serene atmosphere in his delicate yet masterful interpretations of music by Barrios, Satie, Torroba, and more."
           
                                            ~Brad Conroy Staff writer for
                                                                Guitar International Magazine

"There are moments in peoples lives' when they hear music playing and they become completely wrapped up in the way it makes them feel. Whether it reminds them of something from the past or takes them somewhere only imaginable in one's dreams, music can have a profound effect on certain individuals. Classical guitarist Aaron Spoor is one of those of those musicians who makes these feelings possible."
           
                                             ~Jason Jarvis, University of La Verne Times