CD

Giovanni De Chiaro, Scott Joplin on Guitar. “The Entertainer,” “Maple Leaf Rag,” “Elite Syncopations,” and eight other rags and character pieces, recorded in 1989 by the first classical guitarist to take a serious and sustained interest in Joplin’s music. De Chiaro’s lucid arrangements pare the non-stop oom-pah bass of the original piano versions down to the bare essentials, allowing the gentle lyricism of such pieces as “Solace: A Mexican Serenade” to come through with spring-like clarity. Don’t give away your Joshua Rifkin albums, but once you listen to this CD, I bet you’ll feel like playing it again right away (TT).