This album was released in May 2011 during Richard's tour of Paraguay. The first time an all Barrios album had been released by a foreign artist in that country. Here are some reviews: "Durrant never lets his stunning technique overshadow this wonderful, timeless music". Sun Newspaper (UK) April 2011 "The sincerity of this project is crystal clear from the opening track...a soaring, joyful soundscape,,,a delightful package of guitar mastery." Acoustic Magazine "The UK nylon-string King sets course for sunnier climes...The rawness of his playing is laudable and unusual, creating one of the year's most passionate solo guitar records." Guitarist Magazine June 2011 "Durrant handpicked some choice Agustin Barrios tunes for his latest musical adventure and by weaving his own personaiity into the mix he does them justice - tenfold" Guitar and Bass June 2011 "This instrumental album release by guitar virtuoso Richard Durrant celebrates the music of Paraguayan composer and guitarist Agustín Barrios Mangoré. With eleven carefully chosen pieces Durrant presents an album of personal favourites from the Barrios canon, each played with astonishing dexterity and virtuosity. Named after the bus that would take the young Durrant to his weekly guitar lessons in Hove, the THE NO 26 BUS TO PARAGUAY provides the soundtrack to those formative years, where Barrios' compositions would be tackled by young fingers eager to explore the dusty end of the fret board, whilst examining old original wax cylinder recordings. Referring to the compositions as 'infectious and charismatic' Durrant plays each of the compositions live, sometimes in front of friends and neighbours. Devoid of any studio trickery, this album comes across as pure as you are likely to get. Highly personal and interpretive, the pieces each bear a significance to the guitarist such as the inclusion ofGavota al Estilo Antiguo, Durrant’s audition piece for the Royal College of Music; Danza Paraguaya, the piece that first introduced the work of this composer to the young Durrant and Un Sueno en la Floresta, which Durrant refers to as 'the most tactile guitar piece I know'. Dedicated to Betty Durrant, the mother from whom the guitarist obtained his first Barrios record, this album not only serves as a fascinating introduction to the work of one of the world's greatest guitar composers but also an intriguing piece of contemporary interpretation of timeless music.” Allan Wilkinson Northern Sky June 2011 "All the tracks are wonderful. I think even Barrios himself would be an admirer of Durrant’s style of playing, his interpretations. I have never heard anything like it. Durrant seems to be having fun with each measure, with each phrase and passage, each different, each delicate.” Carlos Salcedo (author of ‘El Inalcanzable’ and a world authority on the life of Barrios). Release Date : May 2011 REVIEWS REVIEW "To this extraordinarily gifted and emotional artist of the highest order I say, “May your career stretch for decades so that many might come to know your art as interpreter and spokesperson for the music of Agustin Barrios Mangoré”. After pondering British maestro Durrant’s renditions of the music of my compatriot Agustin Barrios, I was struck by the quality of timbre, profoundness of sonority, and maturity in expressivity in all the interpretations emanating from the “heart and hands” of this new generation of performer. Durrant distinguishes himself in that his style shows a high level of maturity of execution, beyond the norm, an outlier among concert guitarists if you will, this made possible by his keen connection with and understanding of Barrios’ sublime intentions and attitudes. It is obvious that Durrant has studied and listened to the Barrios original recordings and taken to heart and lesson the interpretations made by Barrios in Buenos Aires in the 1920s. Thusly, the CD has the effect of transporting the listener to a distant and magical world where all sound textures are explored, no measure wasted in its contribution to the whole, where Barrios Mangore himself seems brought to life. I cite for example the Mazurka Apassionata and Sueño en la Floresta, which exact from the interpreter total dominion over the six stringed instrument – a dominion had by Durrant in exquisite abundance. In these two masterworks, Durrant demonstrates his capacity as artist, making use of all guitaristic devices to help make the music transcendental, dreamy, and imagery-rich: one feels as if carried back to romantic periods reminiscent of a belle epoch in Latin America -- mysterious, surreal, remote. I congratulate Richard Durrant who has arrived both physically and metaphorically in Paraguay and the world of Agustin Barrios. In my opinion, Durrant has successfully represented the works of the great Paraguayan – a feat achieved by only a few guitarists anointed by destiny to carry his music and art forward.” Felipe Sosa, Founder of the Paraguayan Classical Guitar School in Asuncion. (Paraguay, 15 de mayo 2011) "Extremely musical and expressive. With virtuosity to spare. I am speaking of Richard Durrant, English guitarist who recently visited Paraguay playing the music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré. The public acclaimed him not only because he presented an all-Barrios program (which he played superlatively), but also because of his passion and tenderness, qualities that he communicates through his magnificent playing of the classic guitar. Durrant is a musician of depth who can play a variety of musical styles, from the Concierto de Aranjuez with the Royal Philharmonic, to popular music and jazz. Here is a mature musician of extraordinary technical prowess. His phrasing and his use of color, together with his virtuosic execution, are very personal. Watching him one receives the impression that the works of Barrios are easy to play...but such is not the case. The Mazurka Apasionata is of the highest degree of technical difficulty as is Un Sueño en la Floresta, both of which Durrant plays with the conviction and authority that is needed to reach a high level of expression with the music of Barrios. We add Durrant to the list of guitarists who have released CDs dedicated to the music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré—a list that keeps growing as the years pass, and on which Durrant occupies a high place. I hope that he can return soon and spend more than a week in Paraguay because he has made many friends here with his warm personality, his outstanding virtuosity and his love of Barrios’ music. Rico Stover. Barrios biographer and ethnomusicologist" (Caacupé, 14 de mayo 2011)