Begin
Sérgio ASSAD (b.1952)
Wednesdays at Sugar (2011) [9:23]
Fernando SOR (1778-1839)
Gran Solo, Op.14 (arr. Sérgio Assad) (1822) [8:59]
Terry RILEY (b.1935)
Y Bolanzero (2001) [12:36]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No.6, BWV 1051 (arr. Philippe Paviot) (1721) [15:03]
Belinda REYNOLDS (b.1967)
Begin (2009) [7:28]
Peppino D’AGOSTINO (b.1956)
Jump Rope (arr. P.D’Agostino and D.Tanenbaum) (2010) [3:33]
Pacific Guitar Ensemble (Michael Bautista, Peppino D’Agostino, Lawrence
Ferrara, Antoniy Kakamakov, Jon Mendle, Paul Psarras, David Tanenbaum, Marc
Teicholz), with special guests on Wednesday at Sugar (Sérgio
Assad, John Britton, Adam Cockerham)
rec. San Francisco Conservatory (8 Mar 2012 (Assad); 5 June, 7 June 2012 (Riley);
30 June 2010 (Reynolds); Studio SQ, San Francisco (5 May 2012 (Sor and D’Agostino);
5 June 2012 (Bach)).
GSP RECORDINGS GSP1037CD [57:07]
The Pacific Guitar Ensemble was formed in 2010 by the chairman of the guitar
faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory, David Tanenbaum together with Peppino
D'Agostino. It comprises eight members, including the two founders. I do not
remember hearing a guitar ensemble of this size before. These are not just
classical guitars playing together but a variety of sorts including steel
string, electric, baroque, oud, bass, theorbo and, in one piece, a sazouki
- a recently created hybrid of saz and bouzouki. This helps to overcome the
possible timbre limitation of the ensemble, making the sound diverse and engaging.
The opening piece, multi-cultural in its character and cinematic in its development,
is called Wednesdays at Sugar. According to the liner-note, the idea
was born in a bar (called Sugar) where the SF Conservatory folks talk
and argue and then decide where to go to dinner, each time choosing a different
national kitchen. The music is caught somewhere between Chick Corea and Paco
de Lucia, urgent and witty, with strong motifs and skilful instrumentation.
Colourful episodes of different character alternate - some of them openly
oriental, some rumba-style, others song-like. This is an attractive and memorable
piece, overflowing with energy.
Sor’s Gran Solo here ceases to be a solo. The ingenious and rich
arrangement adds depth and colour, yet it sounds natural, as if Sor originally
wrote the music with such an ensemble in mind. A stately introduction leads
into a lively fandango-style main body. The music is very Spanish and is heard
here with excellent drive. Even the densest parts sound very clean and have
a wonderful swing.
Terry Riley’s Y Bolanzero comes from The Book of Abbeyozzud,
a set of pieces for various guitar combinations, which are, according to the
composer, “indebted to the great Spanish music traditions and to those
traditions upon which Spanish music owes its heritage”. The music is
populated across a vast expanse with small elements, rhythmic, melodic and
harmonic, each one of them Spanish through and through. This is not “postcard”
music - after all, Riley is one of the fathers of the musical Minimalism -
but Iberian blood certainly courses through its veins are arteries. This is
music of dark shadows and flickering flames, of daggers hidden in folds of
cloaks. There are minimalistic traits, but far removed from “elementary”
minimalism. The development is freely variational over several short motifs.
The Sixth Brandenburg Concerto is a good candidate for a transcription
for guitars, as its original soloists are two violas, whose pitch range is
similar to the guitar. The first movement is sea-like. Its main element is
the harmony, not the melody, and, being placed immediately after Riley, it
sounds surprisingly proto-minimalist. The performance flies forward with good
momentum - light and dancing. The second movement is a slow, sweet aria. In
the original version the violas sing their way through these long, long notes,
and the music sounds very different on plucking instruments. The texture is
well filled, so even though we hear a sort of musical counterpart to a classical
painting which was redrawn in pointillism, th, this effect is not disturbing,
and is even stimulating. The finale is a happy bouncy dance, combining the
gallant with the simple. The characteristic Bachian swing is well conveyed
by the performers. The faster rhythm with shorter notes and chorded accompaniment
fit the guitars perfectly. This is enthusiastic and bright music-making.
Begin was written by Belinda Reynolds in memory of her friend composer
Jorge Liderman. According to Reynolds, in this work she ousted the “polished
shine” which she says is more characteristic of her manner, in favour
of Liderman’s more “rugged” style. The work’s title
reflects the structure of the music, where each section, although harmonically
related to the rest, sounds like a new beginning. I hear desolation, loss
and loneliness. The music is based first and foremost on harmony, with a nervous
rhythmic pulse. Like many good minimalistic works it captivates, if you allow
yourself to be submerged.
The disc concludes with a short work entitled Jump Rope. According
to its composer Peppino d’Agostino, it “features a persistent
off beat that sounds like the high point of a jump rope”. This is an
evocative and effective piece. The music has certain dark insistency and is
not by any means unremittingly cheerful. That said, the feeling of freedom
and the delight of the flight make for really thrilling listening.
Overall, this album is an interesting mix of old and new. It holds together
rather well. The arrangements are clever and resourceful, and the performances
are inspired. The only possible caveat arises if you have never heard a guitar
ensemble before. You should be prepared for a more acidic sound than an unprepared
listener would expect; better to listen to online samples before buying. If
you enjoy that slightly metallic taste, the album can be recommended without
reservation. If the acoustics were deeper there would be a more alluring ambience
to the halo-rich guitar sound but the recording is good enough as it is -
both clear and spacious. The liner-notes by David Tanenbaum give a short introduction
to the ensemble and recount the history of each work.
Oleg Ledeniov
An interesting mix of old and new music, in inspired performances.
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