A remarkable discovery has brought new life to the legacy of Julian Bream: a collection of previously unpublished transcriptions of piano works by Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz, found among Bream’s personal manuscripts after his death, is now being published for the first time.

When Julian Bream passed away in 2020 at the age of 87, the classical guitar world mourned the loss of one of its true greats. A child prodigy, Bream was inspired by his musical family but truly fell in love with the guitar after hearing a recording of Andrés Segovia. At the time, the classical guitar was not widely regarded as a serious concert instrument. When Bream auditioned for the Royal College of Music, he was advised not to bring his guitar and instead focus on his other instruments – piano and cello.

Undeterred, Bream went on to enjoy an immensely successful career and played a pivotal role in establishing the classical guitar as a respected concert instrument. He performed works spanning centuries, championing music from Bach and Dowland to the contemporary composers of his day such as Britten, Tippett, Takemitsu, and Arnold. He also maintained a deep connection to the traditional Spanish repertoire of Albéniz, De Falla, and Granados. His interpretations of this music were widely celebrated and even featured in a series of televised masterclasses for the BBC.

While many renowned guitarists including Segovia, Tárrega, and Barrios have published their own transcriptions of Albéniz’s music, Bream’s arrangements remained unpublished – until now.

Julian Bream: Albéniz Guitar Collection, edited by Bream’s longtime friend and colleague John Mills, brings these treasured manuscripts to light for the first time. Mills, Visiting Lecturer in Guitar at the Royal Welsh College of Music, worked closely with Faber Music to prepare these editions with meticulous attention to detail.

John Mills, editor, writes:

“The exciting discovery of a large number of transcriptions made by legendary guitarist Julian Bream following his death in 2020 was equivalent to a treasure trove. From a cabinet in the former garage emerged his own handwritten scores of music from the 17th century to the mid-20th century, including works by J.S. Bach and Niccolò Paganini. These ten superb pieces by the Catalan virtuoso pianist Isaac Albéniz are arranged with Bream’s typical fastidious attention to detail and this highly anticipated and important publication will be of huge interest to players and teachers.”

Faber Music’s relationship with Julian Bream spans over six decades, beginning with the publication of Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland, written for Bream and premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival in 1964. Bream later edited several volumes of transcriptions for the Julian Bream Guitar Series, some of which were reissued in 2016 in The Classical Guitar Collection.

Lesley Rutherford, Publishing Director, writes:

“It is a privilege to work with the Julian Bream Trust to bring these previously unseen transcriptions into print, making them available to guitarists around the world for the first time. Faber Music has a close connection to Julian Bream, and we are delighted to be honouring his legacy with this new publication.”

Julian Bream: Albéniz Guitar Collection is out on 23rd July and available to pre-order now.