Reviews of Performing Artists

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SMARO GREGORIADOU
Reinventing Guitar!

All of you music collectors out there that have only one guitar CD on your shelves because you think all guitar recordings sound the same, re-organize your collection to make room for one more because now you will have two guitar CDs on your shelves. This recording by the Greek guitarist and composer Smaro Gregoriadou, as its title 'Reinventing Guitar!' suggests, opens up a whole new sound world in the realm of this humble instrument.

I myself am an organist and pianist, and therefore will not try to explain or transmit to you the technical and musical aspects involved in the making of this recording. Suffice it to say that the CD booklet notes accomplish that very well with detailed musical and even scientific data, stunning photographs of the wonderful instruments built by guitar-maker Yorgos Kertsopoulos, and detailed information as to Smaro Gregoriadou's interpretive approach to every piece on this CD. And if that was not enough, when you click on the performer's name highlighted above, you will be directed to her own website full of even more detailed information on the instruments, the music, and the raison d'être behind the recording and lots more. Very interesting and informative stuff!

The fact that Smaro Gregoriadou is a world class guitarist and musician is immediately obvious and clear. She approaches each work from a different musical angle, so to speak, based on its style, time period and origin. For example, her interpretation of the Bach Lute Suite BWV 995 is straight Baroque, in fact played with a guitar that sounds like a cross between a lute and a harpsichord. This is the world premiere recording of this amazing instrument, a triple-double-single course guitar in re-entrant tuning. And then of course, her reading of the Antonio José Sonata para guitarra, written in 1933, is true to the style and times in which it was composed, and this time it is played on a classical guitar with metallonylon trebles. What I found remarkable about the new instruments used in this recording, is the way they allow for a much more detailed separation of the treble and bass voices, of the different musical lines within each piece. One guitar almost sounds like two separate instruments. A guitar with scalloped frets and a movable back is featured in a piece by Scarlatti. There is also one work by the guitar-maker himself Yorgos Kertsopoulos, and two Balkan Dances by Smaro Gregoriadou herself that, the first one in particular, would require hours upon hours of practice for any guitarist to master.

A fascinating CD for any classical music enthusiasts, and a definite must-have for any serious classical guitar fans. The excellent Delos recording does not try to manipulate the sound in any way. It delivers the natural and attention grabbing sound of these wonderful guitars in a clear and open ambience.

Jean-Yves Duperron

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JOEL FAN
West of the Sun

If you are a piano music buff, are adventurous and like variety in a program, than this great CD of piano works by North and South American composers will bring you endless hours of listening pleasure. Joel Fan, a versatile and accomplished pianist who is constantly performing around the globe and is a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, offers us a buffet of various spicy dishes in this recent collection.

The program launches with an addictive little Brazilian tango by Ernesto Nazareth that will get your foot tapping immediately. It's followed by a Caprice by that New-Orleans king of the keyboard, Louis Moreau Gottschalk. A Cuban dance that mixes traditional harmonies with Creole rhythms, all the while showing off the pianist's virtuosity. When Astor Piazzolla takes a break from writing tangos, he can write beautiful moving melodies like the one found here in his piece titled Flora's Game. It is based on the milonga, a dance from Argentina that existed before the tango. One of the main works on this recording, is the Piano Sonata No. 1 by Alberto Ginastera, one of my favorite composers from Argentina. Its second and final movements, full of cross-rhythms, exotic harmonies, and furious energy, are fantastic displays of pianistic writing and demand the most from the interpreter, in terms of speed and stamina. The contribution from the American Amy Beach is a short piece called Fireflies which very much resembles a Chopin etude and is probably just as difficult to play well whilst giving it the proper spirit. This excellent program ends with the Samuel Barber Piano Sonata Op. 26, another piano piece that demands the utmost from the performer. Aside from the beautiful Adagio movement, it is in a constant state of momentum, and ends with a dazzling show of virtuosity built around a strange but intriguing fugue. Other composers well represented on this recording are Villa-Lobos, Bonds and Bolcom.

Throughout all of these differing pieces, Joel Fan displays a versatility and brilliant technique second to none, and can easily travel from jazzy New-York style riffs to Cuban rhythms without effort. My only quibble with this excellent Reference recording is this; and maybe if someone at the label reads this, they could elucidate as to why this is. From track 3 (Piazzolla) to track 4 (Ginastera) there is a noticeable change in the instrument's tone. The recording sessions occured over two days, so did they switch pianos at some point, or did they suddenly change the recording set-up, or use different recording equipment ... ? I know this is picking, but I like to know what I am listening to. So, for new and intricate piano works to spice up your collection, this CD is a definite recommendation.

Jean-Yves Duperron

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FLOTILLA

Flotilla is a unique and talented group of musicians, which are considered to be four of the top saxophone players on the British music scene. They play a wide variety of works that combine all sorts of varied groupings and arrangements for soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, with keyboard continuo. Kyle Horch, Naomi Sullivan, Andy Tweed and Alistair Parnell all have extensive backgrounds in their chosen instrument, including graduate studies and/or their own previous recording endeavours.

There are seven very contrasting works on this CD that impose diverging demands, both technically and emotionally, on all the players involved. The pieces that reached out and caught my attention in particular are as follows. The Canonic Suite by Elliott Carter, written in 1945 for four alto saxophones, surprised me by its freshness and pure tonality. It is a work that definitely combines fun with discipline, and Flotilla demonstrate here that they are a tight ensemble that can display the humour within music that demands split-second accuracy. The Trio Sonata No. 1 in F major by the Czech Baroque composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, transcribed here by Kyle Horch for two soprano saxophones, baritone saxophone, and synthesizer (replicating a harpsichord) is faithfully reproduced. The tone of the instruments is so clean and crisp, that if you didn't know any better, you would think you are listening to two clarinets, a bassoon, and a real harpsichord. The baroque style is also very well reproduced. At the other end of the musical spectrum is a more recent work by William Sweeney titled Cha b'ann grad.... A very haunting piece of music with rich overlapping harmonies supplied by three soprano saxophones drifting over a dark drone on the synthesizer. It will make your mind wander to other times and places. The remaining pieces in this collection are as varied as they are interesting, and are all played with the same devotion and beauty of sound that defines Flotilla.

If you play the saxophone yourself or love the sound of that evocative instrument, this collection easily demonstrates that jazz is not the only genre where this instrument belongs. The Zelenka piece alone is ample evidence that the saxophone is as versatile an instrument as any, especially in the hands of this fine ensemble.

Jean-Yves Duperron

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CAROLINE LÉONARDELLI
EL DORADO

There is no doubt that of all the musical instruments, the harp produces the most beautiful and pleasant sound. After all, nothing sounds more angelic than a series of arpeggios played on a harp. And great composers know that to create some great atmospheric effects, include one or two harps in the orchestration of a score. But, I have always found the harp to be rather unidimensional and lacking in emotional character.

Well, on this her latest recording, Caroline Léonardelli is apt to change my misplaced opinions. The different moods she projects from the instrument in 'Song of Nymphs' by Marjan Mozetich, should be enough to persuade me of her technical abilities and the harp's capabilities, but throughout every piece on this CD, she displays not only her remarkable musicianship, but also the harp's various personalities. The introduction of 'Sicilienne Variée' by Jean-Michel Damase is a great example, the tenderness of 'La Fille Aux Cheveux de Lin' by Claude Debussy and the childish atmosphere of 'Little Shepherd' also by Debussy, also demonstrate the harp's many facets. And there is an abrupt mood shift when the program closes with the CD's title work 'El Dorado' by Marjan Mozetich. A piece of music that takes you on a strange voyage to a distant and mysterious land. Here the Penderecki String Quartet and Joel Quarrington provide the support which sounds like the minimalist rhythm of a steam train taking the harp on a long journey of exploration and strange soundscapes. A work of dark beauty by Mozetich using his minimalist techniques.

The recording here is superb and the sound of the harp is rich and palpable, and detailed from top to bottom. A definite choice as a harp recording with the added bonus that all the works on this fine disc have something to say.

This recording has just been nominated and is in the running for a Juno Award coming up in the spring of 2010.

Jean-Yves Duperron

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MATT HAIMOVITZ
Odd Couple

The title of this CD, Odd Couple, refers to the fact that the cello and piano combination, although a pairing first introduced by Beethoven for his great cello sonatas, has always been considered an awkward or maladjusted blend of instruments. Well, if that were true, a countless number of masterpieces would never have seen the light of day. Instead, I believe this CD should have been titled Odd Quartet, because the 4 pieces performed here could not be more varied and different in their demands on the performers, as well as the listeners. Jazzy, romantic, intellectual and atmospheric are the adjectives I would use to describe each one with only one word.

The first piece on the disc 22 Part 1, by David Sanford, who was born in 1964, is built upon a very jazzy piano part, with long stride lines in the left hand, punctuated by jabs from the cello for a while, eventually leading to long sections where both instruments share long, jazz infused lines and bring everything to a punchy meeting of the minds in the end.

This is followed by Samuel Barber's Cello Sonata in C Minor. A very romantic work for a piece written in 1932. This piece demands, right from the very first notes, a high level of focused emotions, running the gamut from fiery passion to tender lyricism, with both instruments sharing the lead along the way, with technical and artistic demands always front and center.

work. A difficult work loaded with ever changing counterpoint and full of interesting interplay and cross-talk between the two instruments. It is absolute music which demands high levels of concentration from the players at all times to pull it off.

The final work, Cantos for Slava, by Augusta Read Thomas, was composed in 2008 and written in memory of Mistislav Rostropovich, the greatest russian cellist and all-around musician. It is an atmospheric piece of music, employing many different techniques on the cello, from the plucking of strings à la Jaco Pastorius, to long, gliding textures and shimmers well supported with moody piano lines. A rather haunting piece following the realist Carter work.

Both Matt Haimovitz and Geoffrey Burleson meet the different demands of these pieces head on, and imprint their own personalities to the music, branding it as theirs. From the passion of the Barber to the eccentricities f the Carter, they obviously have this music fused in their minds, and collaborate very well together. They have actually started, in the fall of 2008, touring with these works and playing live, from concert halls to night clubs. Haimovitz has always been a strong supporter of music and believes in bringing it to as many people as possible, in as many ways as possible.

For more detailed info on these dedicated musicians and the fine Oxingale record label, please visit www.oxingale.com

Jean-Yves Duperron

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GISELLE MINNS
Turning Circles

The multi-talented Giselle Minns, singer, songwriter, lyricist, arranger and pianist, has released her first full-length CD titled "Turning Circles" in September of 2008. She describes it, or rather categorizes it as "Classicaltronica", which fits the style and sound rather well. Imagine if you can, a mix of Filippa Giordano, Sarah Brightman, Emma Shapplin, with a darker tinge à la Enya, all done with a powerful, classicaly trained voice and supported by strong, dramatic and emotional music, and you should get a clear picture of what Giselle sounds like.

These 11 well crafted songs, some with French and Italian lyrics, are all well laid out in their progression from intro to finish, and some of them play on your emotions and dwell on the mind. The type of song that would fit well in movies like "Lord of the Rings" or big, epic and gothic inspired video games. The electronic wizardry within the mix has a lot to do with the overall effect and mood of the music. For example, moments when the music sounds as if it is being heard on an old radio, or the music seemingly coming from far off, as if in a distant memory from long ago, or the piano sound coming to you from another room, all of these clever effects create and set the mood of this CD. The genre is definitely more Electronica than Classical, but there is one song titled "Trois Gymnopédies" that is based on the famous piece by Erik Satie

Giselle was raised and trained in Opera and sung major roles around the world, collaborating with well known classical music figures.

What this CD lacks in classical content it makes up for with its clever electronic sound manipulation and moody arrangements. You can read more about Giselle and her awards, operatic roles, appearances etc...and listen to video/audio clips of her music at giselleminns.com

Jean-Yves Duperron

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MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN
Kaleidoscope

If you are a big fan of piano music, this CD definitely belongs in your collection. The title of the disc, Kaleidoscope, could not be more appropriate. Every possible style is on display here. All the pieces were written by pianist-composers over the last century or so, therefore many different pianistic tricks or techniques are present within the music; grand waltzes, études, variations, plus lots of shmaltz when needed but mostly a dazzling display of technical pyrotechnics at the hands of Marc-André Hamelin.

There is simply nothing this pianist cannot do. It wasn't enough that all the works on this disc, from Hofmann, Moszkowski, Poulenc to Casella, to name but a few, are difficult to play, he added a few of his own compositions to the mix that are even more technically demanding than everything else. Take for example his Etude No. 3, based on the famous La Campanella by Liszt, a very demanding piece to begin with. Well, Hamelin just turns up the heat a few degrees more that would bring most other pianists to their knees, and dazzles with mind boggling speed and dexterity, and a slightly warped sense of humour.

This impressive 2001 Hyperion recording is not just flash and fireworks either. There are a few very lyrical and beautiful other miniatures on this well-rounded offering. My favorite one being Hamelin's own transcription of the "Petit Adagio" from Autumn in Glazunov's Seasons. An orchestral work that, by it's orchestral colors, portrays the winds of autumn rustling through the coloured leaves and the approach of the cold and bleak winter season so well that you would doubt a piano version would work the same magic. Well, Hamelin's transcription is so literal and so true to the original's melodic flow, using the range of the keyboard so effectively, it lets you imagine those beautiful fall colours again, and feel that cold wind foretelling the coming of winter. Beautiful! Inspired and Flawless!

Jean-Yves Duperron