New release, 22nd October 2026
Le Salon Romantique – Music for guitar and fortepiano by Ferdinando & Gustavo Carulli
James Akers (guitar) & Gary Branch (fortepiano)
RELEASE DATE: Thursday, 22nd October 2026 – available for pre-order now
Le Salon Romantique brings together two expert historically-informed musicians, James Akers and Gary Branch, to explore key works by Neapolitan composer Ferdinando Carulli, and his son Gustavo Carulli.
Ferdinando Carulli was the pre-eminent guitarist and guitar composer of the early nineteenth century, advancing technique for the instrument just as Paganini had for the violin. Although hailing from Naples it was in the salons of Paris, in the first decades of the 19th century, that Carulli found his milieu. In pieces like the Gran Duo ConcertantOp.65 and Grand Duo Op. 86, both presented on this album, he explored a distinctive aesthetic that blends the elegant, sophisticated and tuneful with dark, dramatic and turbulent elements.
James Akers and Gary Branch recorded these works exclusively on original instruments perfectly suited to the period – exquisitely preserved nineteenth century guitars and the magnificent 1826 Conrad Graf fortepiano from The Richard Burnett Collection in Tunbridge Wells, UK, where the album was recorded.
Recent releases
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Visit the product page for more information and for purchasing.
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About BCR
BCR is a great little record company based in south-west England. We make orchestral, chamber and vocal music albums, and we’ve always got interesting projects in the pipeline. We sell CDs online and ship all over the world, and you can also find our albums on iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and all the usual download and streaming services.
Use this site to find out about our artists and their recordings, and of course to buy CDs. You can use the menu above, search, or just browse around to explore the BCR catalogue.
BCR Artists
Our artists include the award-winning UK chamber groups Passacaglia, Fontanella, Feinstein Ensemble and Ensemble Augelletti. We released the CD Love Handel, produced for the charity The Children’s Trust with Ana-Maria Rincon, Laurence Cummings, Christopher Purves, Lisa Beznosiuk and Steven Devine.