Bill Perry

Songs of Walden

The 16 classical guitar compositions for on this disc pay homage to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Taking the book’s chapter names for their titles, each piece is intended to evoke the spirit of that chapter, and some are subtly enhanced with recordings of songbirds indigenous to Walden Pond, such as the loon and whip-poor-will. As might be expected, the mood is mostly tranquil and meditative throughout, providing the perfect vehicle for Perry’s exquisitely executed and beautifully recorded playing. Eroica. —Barry Cleveland