by Ben Hogwood<\/strong>, with text from the press release. Picture (c) Camilla Greenwell<\/p>\n Sean Shibe<\/strong>\u2019s fifth Pentatone album, Vesper, is due for release on 17 April 2026.<\/p>\n On it he presents a typically inventive collection of contemporary guitar works by the late Harrison Birtwistle<\/strong>, James Dillon<\/strong>, and Thomas Ad\u00e8s<\/strong>, \u201call composed by musicians who do not play the instrument themselves\u201d, says the press release. \u201cRecorded here for the first time, these recent miniatures explore the guitar\u2019s expressive range in profoundly different ways: ritualistic and evocative in Birtwistle, elemental in Dillon, and allusive in Ad\u00e8s. Shibe\u2019s interpretations reveal the instrument\u2019s extraordinary colour, subtlety, and capacity for transformation, bringing each work to life with imagination and nuance.<\/p>\n For some of Birtwistle\u2019s pieces, Shibe performs on Sylvette (2021), a guitar made by luthier Simon Ambridge in collaboration with French-British artist Lydia Corbett. A muse to Pablo Picasso \u2013 who was himself an important influence for several of Birtwistle\u2019s works on this album \u2013 Corbett also inspired Picasso\u2019s celebrated Sylvette series. Modelled on the small, responsive instruments of the Andalusian luthier Antonio de Torres, the guitar features Corbett\u2019s artwork on its body, adding a visual and symbolic layer to the performance.<\/p>\n You can watch the launch video for Vespers<\/em> here:<\/p>\n \n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcana.fm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sean-shibe.jpg\")
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