Before I proceed with any details, let me just say that this is one of the most beautiful guitar recordings I have ever heard. Everything about it works. The players are superb and joyous. The music is well chosen. Each composer is represented here, perhaps, at his best. As I cannot go into details with each track (as that would make this review too long), I will touch on the highlights.
La Bella Cubana – Habanera (the lovely Cuban girl) is perhaps the least Habanera-like Habanera that I have ever heard. It was composed by Jose White. However, as it proceeds it goes into a dancy middle section (the “trio” section of old!) and then, per the form, returns to its original loping tempo. The unlikely sound of this Habanera is due to the interesting background of this composer. Born in 1836 in Cuba, he went to Paris to study music. There he was quite successful (so successful, in fact, that he adopted a mainly European style.) The great George Enescu was one of his pupils. By the way, he went by the names Jose Silvestre White and Jose Silvestre White y Lafitte, and was Afro-Cuban by blood. A very interesting musician!
Tracks 3-6, Diarios, by Jose Lezcano, are four marvelous pieces composed for his colleagues on this CD. The first is a Rumba-Son. The original Cuban dance, Rumba, was a fast and athletic dance of seduction by the men. The Rumba-Son is the corresponding dance for the women, and is considered a slower and more tasteful seduction! The feminine quality here is immediately found in the opening measures, with a tentative tapping-out of occasional notes from a texture that progressively fills in as the measures pass by. As the music moves on, the passion grows and the movement closes with a bang. The second is Fiestas Andinas, opening with a simple pulse but soon progressing to a section of true minimalist mania, with each instrument going its own way, only to return to a recap of the opening music with a sudden and short repeat of some of the interlude. The third is A Tourist in Central Park. The entire track has a quiet, reflective jazzy quality. Lovely music. The last is Brasilierando!. It opens with a jazzy Samba (a Brazilian dance in 2/4 time, with lively rhythms and off-beat accents). After a quiet appearance of a quote from Berceuse Campesina (by Cuban composer Alejandro Caturla), the track returns to its original liveliness and on to the end of the music – and to an enthusiastic audience response (as it was apparently a live concert recording).
Next is a superb rendition of the famous Bachianas Brasileiras #5: Aria, of Villa-Lobos. There is nothing more that need be said. We all know the lovely music. The playing here is a true joy to behold.
Next is Suite del Recuerdo, composed by Jose Luis Merlin. It is a short, beautiful suite for solo guitar. The three movements, Evocacion, Zamba, and Chacarera are, as their titles might imply, exotic and even intoxicating. This is some of the loveliest music of the entire CD. Merlin is a contemporary Argentine guitarist and composer.
Next is the irresistible Goyescas – Intermission. A justly famous piece of music, recorded countless times by countless ensembles, this one stands with the best. The guitar plays an almost numbingly anticipatable accompaniment, but the flute and bassoon play complementary lines that intoxicate. This is a must-hear arrangement.
Sonatina Tropical, composed by Jose Lezcano, has two movements: Cancion de Madrugada (Song of early dawn), and En Clave de Son. The Cancion begins with quiet passages for guitar alone, then comes a section with flute that sounds suddenly expansive, reminding me greatly of the music of Torroba. En Clave de Son is a jaunty duet for guitar and flute, with saucy, jagged rhythms that persist to the music's end.
Cancao do Amor is by Villa-Lobos, to lyrics of Dora Vasconcelos. It is set here as a duet for guitar and flute. This is unusually intimate music for Villa-Lobos. What great fun to see a different side to a composer from whom we have come to expect “bigger” things!
Homage to Toru Takemitsu, composed by Jose Lezcano, is just what the title implies. Specifically, it is an homage to the great Asian composer's film music. It is set for guitar and bassoon. This is much more pensive than any music from Takemitsu that I am aware of. Nonetheless, it is a lovely duet.
This CD ends with Lezcano's Cuban Sketches, in three movements: Guaracha Nevada, Una Ventana de Estrellas (Bolero), and Miami Merengue. A Guaracha is a snappy, highly rhythmic, cheerful dance. This one is no exception. My wife, who has had no formal music training at all, has, nonetheless, an unerring ear for good music. When I was playing this CD in my office at home, and this first track (Guaracha Nevada) was playing, she came in immediately to listen. This, to me, seems the highest compliment that can be paid to this music. Una Ventana de Estrellas is a charming duet for flute and bassoon, with a simple but effective accompaniment from the guitar. Miami Merengue is a raucous depiction of being caught in one of Miami's traffic jams, and resorting to the radio for amusement!
As I said at the top of this review, this is a superb CD. In fact, I can easily that it is one of the most beautiful CDs that I have heard in years. The players are superb. The music choices are first-rate. What's not to love?
John Bent
Marion, Iowa USA
May 25, 2009
Copyright 2009, new millennium Guitar Publishing Co., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; reprinted with permission.
— John Bent, new millennium Guitar Publishing
