Of the many glories
in the Naxos catalogue their "Guitar
Collection" possibly shines the brightest
and is also one of the most important.
The whole concept which mixes composer
portraits and thematic compilations
is excellent. Moreover the quality,
technically and artistically, is top-drawer.
I own a number of these and there is
not one weak specimen among them. The
one under consideration is no exception.
Even if the cover doesn’t
say so, this could be termed Volume
Two, since there is a much earlier issue,
actually one of the earliest, entitled
"Brazilian Portrait – Villa-Lobos and
the Guitar Music of Brazil" (Naxos 8.550
226) played by Gerald Garcia. That disc
can be wholeheartedly recommended alongside
the present one, since there is practically
no over- lapping of titles.
In his booklet note
Graham Anthony Devine stresses the importance
of the guitar in Brazilian music and
names several present-day singers/songwriters
who use the guitar, among them Gilberto
Gil, who recently (Autumn 2004) was
awarded the Swedish Polar Music Prize,
which he shared with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Even if the record doesn’t contain any
music by Gil nor by any of the others
mentioned, I still think it’s correct
to say that there are no strict border-lines
between the popular and classical music
in Brazil or even in Latin America at
large. Many of these compositions use
the rhythms of popular dances: samba,
bossa nova etc. There is also a popular
feeling about the melodic material and,
taken as a whole, this recital should
find a place in many a collection of
popular music as well as on many "serious"
collectors’ shelves.
The recital gets off
to a riveting start with Marco Pereira’s
Pixaim, which is a "frevo", a
fast and rhythmic dance from the North-East
of Brazil. His Plainte, on the
other hand is a beautiful waltz, while
Num pagoda em Planaltina is a
homage to João Bosco, the singer
and guitarist, whose playing style Pereira
imitates. O Chôro de Juliana
is a nice singing little piece.
There are two composers
from an earlier generation: Heitor Villa-Lobos
and João Pernambuco. The Villa-Lobos
piece, Sentimental melody was
originally written for the film "Green
Mansions" in 1957 but is here played
in a fine arrangement for guitar by
Carlos Barbosa-Lima. If you want more,
"real" guitar music by Villa-Lobos,
get the Garcia disc mentioned earlier.
Pernambuco is a fine melodist (listen
to Sons de Carilhóes)
but he also writes virtuosic and humoristic
music: Pó de Mico is a
gem, which fully lives up to its title
(Itching Powder), constantly on the
move, scratching. This piece is also
on the Garcia disc and it is well worth
owning in two versions.
The two great names
from the 1960s bossa nova movement are
also represented on this disc. Antonio
Carlos Jobim worked with among others
Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra and The
Girl from Ipanema was a real hit.
Devine plays it as to the manner born.
There is also a little song, Luiza,
which Marco Pereira has arranged for
the guitar. Luiz Bonfá’s haunting
melody Manhã de Carneval,
becoming a world hit through the film
"Orfeu Negro" (Black Orpheus), is played
in an improvisatory manner with delicious
embellishments to the melody. I am not
sure what the original was like in the
film, and my wife who has seen it numerous
times couldn’t recall it either, but,
as she said: He is sitting there with
the guitar ... Anyway, Garcia also plays
it, again with a lot of embellishments,
but it isn’t the same version as Devine’s,
even if they are similar. Garcia states
in his notes that it "is an improvisation
based on the playing of Bonfá
himself".
In Sergio Assad’s three-movement
Aquarelle we are transported
to a completely different sound world.
The first movement, Divertimento, is
based on a three-note motif, that he
develops during the course of the movement
and he doesn’t avoid some harsh harmonies,
while the second movement, Valseana,
brings us back to the more conventional
harmonic language that dominates this
recital. The final movement juxtaposes
a withdrawn Preludio with a fast, agitated
and technically complicated Toccata.
Devine has placed this composition roughly
in the middle of the recital, so it
could be regarded as a spicy main course
squeezed in between a lush starter and
a sweet dessert. On the dessert trolley
we also find, besides a couple of dishes
already mentioned, Sete Cordas
by guitarist Rafael Rabello, (who died
at only 33). It is a homage to the seven-string
Brazilian guitar. Very beautiful it
is and exquisitely played. Beautiful
indeed in a meditative vein, is Egberto
Gismonti’s Agua e Vinho (Water
and Wine). I really love this piece,
which ends with a question mark, so
maybe the title could be read "Water
or Wine"?
The recital is rounded
off with Ronaldo Miranda’s Appassionata.
If there are any references to Beethoven
they elude me, but it is passionate
music and very virtuosic. Still it is
not just a show-piece; it also has its
reflective moments.
Looking back at the
review I notice that I have written
more about the music than the performance.
So let me make it clear that Graham
Anthony Devine is a masterly guitarist,
playing this attractive, varied and
thrilling programme to perfection. Are
you a guitarist or a guitar music lover:
buy it! Are you a general music lover:
buy it! Just curious about what classical
guitar music might be: buy it!
Göran Forsling
Graham Anthony Devine (guitar) 
