American Record Guide, independent critics reviewing classical recordings

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Platero and I Niklas Johansen, g. OUR 8.226930 [2CD] 109 minutes

Guitarist Lars Hannibal co-founded OUR, Recordings with his wife, recorder virtuoso
Michala Petri; and the label has established solid credibility in the world of classical gui-
tar recordings. Acting as executive producer of this significant project, Hannibal presents
Danish guitarist Niklas Johansen, heretofore unknown to this reviewer in a stellar per-
formance of Platero y Yo, the 28-movement monumental work by Mario Castelnuovo-
Tedesco based on poetry by Juan Ramon Jimenez (1881-1958) about a donkey named
Platero.
Recorded in Fredensborg Palace Chapel with state of the art equipment (e.g. 352.8
kHz/32 bit), the site of important events for Denmark’s Royal Family, the music imme-
diately envelops the listener with rich, clear tone with the perfect amount of reverbera-
tion, not just from the sound but because of the sensitivity of the performer. Johansen,
completely in tune with Castelnuovo- Tedesco’s style and language, eloquently
shapes each phrase, encouraging the imagination to go where it will, whether listening
with eyes closed or reading the poetic passages associated with each movement in a
very well-produced booklet that gives a complete picture of this monumental work
in a way this reviewer has not seen previously. I like the clever black-and-white
sketches by Halfdan Pisket. The well-written music stands on its own, with contrasting
dramatic moments as in ‘Return’ or the subtle, quieter passages in ‘The Well’ and
‘Melancholy’.
Johansen confronts technical challenges with control that makes their difficulty
unnoticeable, as in ‘Spring’ and in his handling of delicate harmonics in ‘The Moon’.

One might think that 28 movements by the same composer might get boring, but
Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s inventive melodic, harmonic and overall musical genius shines
in this work, and coupled with Johansen’s musical prowess and the design of the
booklet makes this recording one that should be on everyone’s playlist.
MCCUTCHEON. January/February 2026