HEINZE: Chamamenmi; Cancion; Huella: BROUWER: 5 Micropiezas; Musica Interludio Campesina –a) Preludio; b) Interludio; c) Danza ; d) Final; Per Suonare A Due –Prologo; Interludio;Grand Pas De Deux; Epilogo; Scherzo de Bravura : DUARTE: English Suite Op31: MARSH : Clumber Rain.
Adam Khan and Luis E.Orias Diz ( Guitars)
Guitar Masters/Pai Records
Welsh Guitarist Khan and Argentinean Diz have here produced a recording of music by 4 composers including the complete works for 2 guitars of Leo Brouwer, which in itself is a good reason to go looking for this album.
Walter Heinze’s Chamamenmi , a very melodic and friendly piece of writing is a great start to this recital. The title incidentally is a Brazilian one, meaning ‘Call Me’ and is apparently a song. Indeed it does sound like it too.
Leo Brouwer’s 5 Micropiezas, short and very unusual pieces are next. The first four are indeed less than 2 minutes each and occupy their very own sound world that is like no other. Then when you reach the last one you hear Frere Jacques which, if you don’t know this work, will definitely surprise you. It is by far the longest of the 5 and after the ‘normal’ harmonisation of the tune it reappears several times, gradually getting more and more strange, harmony – wise.
John Duarte’s English Suite Op31 in three movements is next. Always a wonderful writer, this man’s music is great fun to play and to listen to as well. The three movements are Prelude, Folksong and Rounddance, with the Folksong having a particularly wonderfully evocative and haunting melody for its basis and the Rounddance having a great, and very catchy melody and rhythm.
Perhaps not as well known is the next Brouwer piece, the Musica Interludio Campesina , its four movements being Preludio, which is a very short piece only as little more than a minute long, as is the following Interludio . Equally short is the Danza, a much more vibrant piece that requires lots of really good playing, which of course it gets here, and then the Final which is another short but dance – styled piece at the opening, only to get much more mysterious in the following section.
There follows the Cancion from Walter Heinke, a very melodic piece I found received a lovely performance .His Huella is the next track and another fine piece , with a bit of bounce to it, but still very melodic .
The following 5 tracks are Leo Brouwer’s Per Suonare a Duo which, to be honest is some of his most dissonant music , with many stops and starts that occur in between the atonal phrases that this piece inhabits. It will be a piece that you may not appreciate if atonal music is not your thing.
The last track is by my long standing Classical Guitar Magazine compatriot, Steve Marsh, namely Clumber Rain. It is very active, full of constant movement in the opening section until , in the middle, the ‘rain’ really shows itself in the music by being full of single patterns of stopped notes , until the flowing music returns with a memorable melody set against some beautiful harmonies. This is a lovely piece that really closes the album on a high point.
The playing is superb, the music very varied, and so whereas there may be the odd piece that doesn’t appeal quite as much as the others, it is nevertheless an album well worth getting to know, nicely recorded and with first class performances
Chris Dumigan
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