Ottmar Liebert - Leaning into the Night (1997)

Leaning Into the Night features a collection of classical pieces with familiar themes and five Ottmar Liebert compositions gracefully interwoven to make a unique whole. Four of the Liebert pieces are known to his fans from other albums and one, "The Winding Road/La primavera", here receives its first recording. Castro-Neves also contributes one tune, "The Call", which he composed at Ottmar's request -- it features a recording Ottmar made in the Middle East of a muezzin's call to prayer. All these selections have been arranged for orchestra by Castro-Neves, who has created a lush, romantic setting for Ottmar's performances on the guitar. The recording debuted at #1 on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart and remained on the chart for several months thereafter.