Springfield Classical Guitar Society presents
Artists in Review -- page 4
  featuring
     Carlos Perez - Musica de Antonio Lauro, Volmen I
    Carlost Perez -- Hechizos, Musica Lationamericana del siglo XX
    Carlos Perez --Recital
    Chanson du Soir, David Isaacs guitar and Chelsea Camille, soprano  -- Melancholie et Espoir
    Javier Calderon --  Javier Calderon Plays J.S. Bach
    Javier Calderon --  Franz Schubert: Serenade, Hungarian Melody, Moments Musicaux 
    San Francisco Guitar Quartet -- Black Opal
    Sharon Wayne -- From the Heart

By the cover

The absence of David Isaacs and Chelsea Camille from the front cover of their CD speaks volumes for the artists' approach to what's inside. The most inportant point they want to "score" for CD shopper is not their beaming faces (which are presented in a fine photo on the back of the CD case) but the nature of what's inside. The cover says "art, classic, unpretentious, dark" and like a dimly lit window, eye-level in a deep meadow cabin, it invites you to look in. The back cover lists contents including each track's time and the CD's total time. A nice touch is the mention of their web site at the bottom of the back cover and the bottom of the final page of the liner notes.

The list of contents on page 2 of the 12 pages of linotes notes is a terrific idea. Even though you probably read the same list on the outside back cover, it's a handy reference when listening to the music. Three pages of program notes, describing the composers and their featured work which one hopes to find in these pages, come next, followed by words to the songs. Only American Brian Madigan and Englishmen John Dowland and Bill Shakespeare wrote for the shared lingo. The other composers' words are transcribed in their native tongues and translated into English. Terrific! More than that: Delightful! Wonderful touch!   The single-page duo bio is nicely written and includes another fine photo, both dressed for the stage in classical basical black. The last page of technical info gives credit to all involved.

This reviewer's only regret is that English translations of the duo's name and the CD title were not included in the cover or liner notes.

That minor lament aside, the entire print tableau is as professional and smooth a presentation as I have found in the course of many reviews; very well done.

By the music

Vocal accompaniment to a guitar -- and vice versa --  adds complexity to evaluating this CD. For this reviewer, my task is akin to describing a ride on a Ferris Wheel without understanding what a Ferris Wheel is. At the end of the ride, the ultimate auestion for the rider, as well as the listener is: Did you ENJOY IT?? The answer is: ultimately, yes.

The dilemma is that Chelsea Camille's first-rate voice, which doesn't miss a trill, a rolled "r" and dazzlingly "nails" high notes -- often amazingly and hauntingly (what an INSTRUMENT she owns!), demonstrates the limited capacity of artistic lyric to fulfill the promise of the printed word shared in the liner notes. This is not her fault or her shortcoming because the outcome is as natural as a donut dunked into hot coffee, becoming something other than what was first considered. Words on a page are one art; shared in song by a talented, competent vocalist, they become something else. They become a medium beyond the meaning on the page. Why? Because on the pages, they don't include the variations of repeated phrasing revealed in the words sung.  Unlike David Isaacs' fine guitar playing which touches the mind/heart -- or fails -- in the first hearing, the listener must invest more time to understand the words by reading the original and translations to English, not once but several times; matching them to the accompaniment. Camille delivers the melody exquisitely, but there is more than melody in what she brings to the listener.

We have known radio "personalities" and formed ideas of what they look like, only to be set straight when we see their pictures. David Isaacs sets the mood with his evocative solo work preceding voice and in the harmonious but unobtrusive support of Chelsea Camille's lead.  Only when the lyrics become as meaningful to the listener as the musical element do we see the "personality" of the creation as it is and not as we imagined it before. Should the listener have to work that hard? If the package delivered in the CD successfully engages the listener in their first and second hearings, the reward will justify the investment of time and attention

Go back to the pictures on the back of the CD and the liner notes' penultimate page. The duo could be "gazing into the noir" in a cliche/pose that would capture the eyes of classical music fans looking for simple clues. They don't do that. Good for them! If you don't get it by the fine front cover presntation, you probably won't get the rest of it.  Chanson du Soir looks into your eyes, so to speak, in both pictures . . . . so to speak to you. They're SMILING! What nerve! What awtsy heresy you may think! But I say . . . . what a DELIGHT! They seem to say, "We have a unique experience for you. Buy it and share it." THAT, I believe, is successful engagement. This will be a recording that will grow in you as you spend time with it. We all find insights in poems, articles and books that we missed the first go round. Why should a CD be different?

This reviewer's favorite tracks include Brian Madigan's "When Soft Voices Die" with its arresting pauses and moody guitar. Track 11 is another, a Shakespeare song that is almost idiosyncratically optimistic in tone. It's popcorn (1:28), but it's tasty. Who wrote the arrangement? The liner notes don't say. Thanks to Chanson du Soir, I'm a new John Dowland fan. The recording is a hair muddy. Maybe less from the diaphragm and more from the mouth would have worked. This could have been cured in the booth, but it's not a majormajor impediment.

The guitar as played by David Isaacs merits special mention.  He's not the "second fiddle" on this production; he is co-fiddle, as focused in his pacing and passion as his talented vocalist/wife. He matches her note for note. There are very few out-of-synch measures on this production. He's had a successful solo and ensemble career and seems to have found "home" in this full-frontal duo. 
 
After enjoying their first CD, this enlightened reviewer looks forward to moir from Chanson du Soir, and after you do likewise, I predict you will feel the same.

RECITAL

By the cover

This front cover of this early production (2000) sets the artist as a tennis player sets feet and stance for serving the ball in a game that matters. It's important for the passing potential customer to know that this new fellow Perez is serious about his musical art, and his cover photo proves it. The left index finger barring the neck, the placement of the thumb and eyes on the instrument reveal an artist with dignity, focus and good taste in formal attire. The back of the case has no photo, but its graphic design reveals a conservative, yet clearly sophisicated approach. Only on the back of the liner notes do we discover an artist at ease, well-togged, but relaxing, smiling and looking directly into the camera. Visually, this introduction makes no waves and exudes confident competence -- an attitude that will be proven valid when the music begins.
       The back of the case commendably lists not only the repertory shared, but the times of each track and total times for each set of tracks. This is a nice touch which should have been repeated on the back of the liner notes. It wasn't, and considering the timing of this CD at an early point in Perez' career, that's okay. Instead, the back page of the notes features quotes from happy listeners. There's nothing wrong with sharing some astute observations from your friends!
      Between covers readers will find two pages describing the music presented on Recital, written by Perez and on the next two pages, English translation by Katalina Kundhart. Though this reviewer doesn't enjoy predictable cliched commentary in little books like liner notes, I believe that just as specific musical forms contain traditional components, the literary "form" of liner notes succeeds when information about the music presented on the CD is included.This one has fine liner notes in traditional array, easy to read, concise and informative. Don't be distracted by the "1940" reference describing J.K. Mertz (August 17, 1806 -- Oct 14, 1856). It's only a typo . . . . but it did get my attention! One may wonder if the translator intended to say that Giuliani was "a virtuous musician." I believe I speak for many reviewers when I state for the record that Giuliani's virtue is of no interest to me. Perhaps she meant to say virtuoso musician.

 By the music

1 -- 3. -- Thanks to the fine liner notes, we know Joaquin Rodrigo wrote very well for guitar, even though he did not play guitar. WOW! What country did Rodrigo call home? Well, that's where Wikipedia will come in handy. Knowing this about Rodrigo draws the ear to the opening fusillade of sound, and a joyous, fulsome fusillade it is.."The composer's works are well-known to the classical guitar community -- almost like seeing Irving Berlin under a 1940s's pop song title -- so suffice to say that Perez' precise approach, as tight as a drum and as lyrical as a lark, are amply evident in this early CD.

4. - 8. -- Vincente Asencio's Mediterranean roots are "visible to the ear" in this Perez' superb performance of his Collectici intim. I felt I was listening to secret whispers, some quiet and others animated, all vivacious. The composer's observation regarding a-tonal aesthetics has me convinced I must have Mediterranean blood in my bones, because I consider him "right on" and am determined to look for his name on CDs I encounter in the future. (I will not quote him. Read the liner notes after you purchase this CD, and see if you agree with "us.")

9. -- 10. -- The CD takes a flying leap from the 20th century back to the 19th and 18th for the rest of the selections. My uninformed guess is that Mertz was one of the first "moderns," aided by the original composition by Franz Schubert.  Of course, that tentative point goes "out the window" with the Mazurka which exudes courtly propriety of darn-near-minuet-ian proportion. Even so, it's a fine presentation, smooth as the silk of milady's garters.

11. -- Rossiniana one might say is not a roast beef, but a stew of many nourishing parts trimmed from Rossini operas, and like any anthology of "greatest hits," by that fab family, it could have run on and on and on and on . . . .but it doesn't. Though one whole (13:11 whole) the selections seem like movements, and could have been arranged as a more formal piece -- except of course, that everyone at the time would have recognized the melodies the way we recognize most of the cuttings in the "Dancin' to the Classics" A.M. radio romps of some years ago, mercifully decrescendoed to obliviou. The Giuliani composition has legs and for good reason: it engages the ears without punishing them, with velvet aplomb from Carlos Perez and dazzling passion from the composer!

12. -- 17. -- Though written for harpsichord, Bach's Partita No.1 was transcribed by the featured artist, and acknowledged for his fine effort only at the bottom of the CD case. Strings plucked and strummed do not deliver the "brassy" elment of the keyboard percussive, but Perez succeeds in imparting a more delicate and mellow feel; not an antithesis of metal on metal, but of a greater sense of humanity versus machine. The concluding Gigue cleanses the listenr's attitude and "sets" one squarely and confidently to engage whatever follows the playing of this memorable CD.

By the cover

The liner notes and back of the case content are exceptionally well designed with track times and total selection times listed. This makes it much easier for broadcast air play since there’s no need to labor with adding movement times before committing air to entire selections. This info is presented on the bck page of the removable liner notes and the back of the case. EXCELLENT! The Spanish (only) cover and back pages suggest the primary market for Perez’ CDs is in Spanish-speaking countries or at least among fans who speak Spanish. Even the musician’s authorship is in Spanish (Chilean) text, and that is followed by their translation in English by Christopher Bonura. The notes give only brief mention to the "Variations on a theme of Django Reinhardt. Perez may have thought we all know about Reinhardt, or he may have been pressed for space. My guess is the latter. Hechizos (English translation: Charms) presents four composers concisely described in the notes, followed by a brief biography of Carlos Perez. Two different photos (both first class) and a gently humerous charicature are included. Also noteworthy is the readable font design and size.

Musica de Antonio Lauro    Volume I

By the cover:

A title for a future US release of this memorable CD might be "Antonio Lauro: Diversion Immersion." because far better than a track or two of Lauro's music in a 20th century anthology of Latin American guitar music, this production allows the interested listener to know this former piano student, and prolific baritone vocalist/ concert performer/composer's range of six-string successes. A smiling Calos Perez on the front cover seems to affably invite the listener to reap his harvest of the world-traveling Venezuelan, the first concert-level composer/player from his homeland. Consistent with Perez' CDs is the excellence of photography; nothing exceedingly pretentious; just an open-handed glimpse of this Chilean virtuoso.
    Four pages of biography of Lauro byAlejandro Bruzual in Spanish and the same four pages translated byBeth Markowitz provide a concise,"meat and potatoes" chronolgywith only brief attention to the music featured on the CD. What Lauro did is the focus; there is, sadly, no significant insight regarding his music. And for a "Volume I,"  this may be a wise approach. This reviewer looks for a volume II to further describe the origin and aspirations for his compositions. Listeners will not suffer in the absence of facts. As it reaches us via Carlos Perez' talented hands, we understand what recordings are intended to reveal. A fifth-page Spanish/English description of Perez follows the Lauro bio, capped by a list of selections and durations, similar to what's on the back of the CD case. Unfortunately the total time durations for sets and combined movements of longer compositions,  present in Perez' Hichizos and Recital are not present on liner notes or back cover of this release. It is a good presentation, well produced.

By the music:

1.  -- Argentina has its tango. Venezuela has its waltz, if Lauro's catalog is valid reprsentation of that nation's musical metier, and Antionio Lauro may be Venezuela's   Straussen rolled into one elegant composer. The opening selection is a sophisticated number and certainly suggests it.

2. -- 4.  -- Early on it seems  this album, in contrast to Perez' fine Hechizos will not challenge listeners with abstract atmospherics. Any 21st century listener will do well to acclimate ears to both approaches if for no other reason than to thrive on -- and to be inspired from -- the rich harvest of both. The brevity of these early tracks renders a melodious series of "atmospherics" in their own right. Varied in tempo and mood, they are tune "sprints" for the ears.

5. -- 7. -- These traditional Latin American incarnations testify to a culture that excelled in diversity of musical forms, of more than blues, jazz, rock & roll and racket. If I could tell you more about them in this review -- other tha that all are sensitively and meticulously played --  I would.

8. --  Because I cannot share what I do not know from the CD, the rest of this review will be necessarily shorter than you might have anticipated; shorter than I anticipated -- that's for sure. And since all reviews must stand alone "in their own little kiosks at the Review Mall" I want to say again what I have said before in my reviews of Hechizos and Recital. Carlos Perez is one of the most precise players of the instrument. I say this, based in part on the CDs I have heard at least six times before posting my reviews and also based on what I heard with my ears at his October 27, 2007 concert sponsored by Springfield Classical Guitar Society (SCGS), Perez is no illusion.  Studio enhancement can fool a listener, but unless this gentleman was "finger-synching" to a recording playing through his instrument's sound hole, what one sees in live concert is the real deal. Carlos Perez is the real deal.

16. -- 19.-- The only Lauro conpositions played in a previous SCGS concert were the four waltzes (tracks 16 -- 19, played by Russel Brazzel in concert here on January 23, 2005. Unfortunately, Brazzel has not graced the world with a new CD release in years, so we are well served with the fine Perez rendition for the digital magic music box.

20. -- 22. -- Lauro's Sonata is the "meal" on a CD of delicous "hors d'oeuvres." The opening Allegro is hauntingly atmospheric, an eliciter of goosebumps on the back of this listener's neck with the volume cranked up. The air of pensive lamentation evoked in the Cancion continues eloquently in the minor and yields to a fluttering escape from the depths in the concluding Bolera. This is sophisticated composition: not the stilletto to the jugular of a Mickey Spillane, but elegant evisceration by a Henry James: profound and wonderful!

23. - 24. -- Back to melodies: gentle whispers of dreams, delicately purveyed and not a buzzed or dead string in the short, sweet and well-tempered delivery

The rest -- Because I am perhaps too curious and not inclined to research, I would have appreciated a description of why Perez grouped the final six tracks into two groups of four and two, separated by horizontal lines on liner notes and case back. That said, I know a CD does not an encyclopedia make. It shares music and does it very well.

30.   -- Perez concludes with a celebratory flourish packed with humor in every measure. If you are not smiling 30 seconds into this romp, ask a friend to feel your wrist for a pulse. The end is a surprise. It is a "knock knock" without a "who's there?" an "eeny meeny" without the "miney moe." But it works!  It left me hanging, expecting, anticipating an "!" and giving me only an ". . . ." and that's okay. I had to replay the track a few times to be sure I hadn't sneezed in that final second. And then I understood. The ". . . . ." is the artist's bold prediction that the owner of this CD has not heard all he or she is destined to hear of this remarkable musician. It is not a period or an exclamation point. The music continues . . . . . when you purchase Carlos Perez' next CD, whenever and whatever it may be.
    Bravo, Mr. Perez for a musical feast for the ears that will echo in my heart for the rest of the day, and for a long time after that!

By the cover
    If you're shopping for classical music, or if you've heard the artist in concert, the cover tells you all you need to know because both names will draw you to the CD or not. It's a quintissential distillation of the men and the mood.   The title on the cover isn't a title; it's a lable like "Corn Flakes" on the generic shelf at your local discount supermarket. Should it have had a title? Perhaps the picture is the title. When the CD begins to play, the lack of a title is the first thing you will forget ever considering.
    The six page of text between covers provide the story of and history of Calderon's arrangements in a conversational "voice that will nourish the well-seasoned classical music enthusiast and educate (without pontification and pedantry) the listener new to the realm. Read Perry Aliare's fine presentation before playing the CD and you'll hear more than notes during the first spin. Read them again to fully imprint the education. Ubersest von Heide Bloh's introduction to the artist is presented in English and Spanish. An interesting approach which leads this reviewer to wonder why the Bach "notes" were not in Spanish as well. My guess is simple economics. Four pages are a more engaging prospect than more pages, and less expensive to produce.
   A nice touch is the sharing of the time durations on the back page of the liner notes. More artists should do likewise because some listeners like to leave the CD case with the player and take the liner notes to the comfortable chair and lamp. BRAVO Javier!
   Commendably, times for each movement performed are included on the back cover.  Conspicuously absent is mention of a web site or even an address to write for more information about the artist and how to purchase more of his CDs. That's why God made Google where, at the top of the list, you will find   http://hum.lss.wisc.edu/guitar/jcalderon.html

By the  music
   1. This is a big hunk of melodic "meat" to chew at the start. There are no movements separating or dilineating tempo and mood, so the listener  should understand the entry into the bill of fare is not an appetizer; it's a dish, nicely served.  As the liner notes say, it builds in intensity and concludes with a reprise of the first part. It's a well-satisfying introduction.
  2. Passion blooms and booms here in the second and fourth movements.  Crank the volume up and ride the waves!
  3. This transcription of a prelude arranged for piano by a Ukranian ex-patriate, a revered teacher at Juliard, is a nifty back-and-forth between melody and chord harmonies. It would be great to hear the piano version, but this is Calderon's CD, and he plays his arrangement of that arrangement very well.
  4. An "evergreen" in the Bach catalog, Calderon's arrangment is particularly satisfying with its precise rendering not in marching lock-step to the tempo, but with greater variation. It captures the ears, much like a poem that's not enslavved to precise and perfect rhymes.  What a delight!
  5. The most darkly atmospheric composition on the CD and probably Bach's first composition for the lute according to Allaire's fine liner notes, it is proof positive that speed is not the handmaiden of mood. The general outlook remains, no matter how fast Calderon's fingers fly. Obviously the minor key is a major factor here. The conclusion of the effort will echo around in your soul for awhile, so you may want to punch "pause" and let it rattle around awhile, like the aftertaste of a superior single-malt whiskey.
  6.  This prelude in the infinitely more satisfying of the two played on this CD.
  7.  Liner notes writer Allaire considers Calderon's arrangement of what was first a choral work, then a piano smash hit, and now exquisitely rendered on six strings a "titting conclusion," and I agree. The depth of sound captures Bach in a way one might never expect from a guitar. It leaves this listener well-satisfied from the encounter with this talented arranger/musician.  And like the best feasts for the hungry aficionado, it leaves one lamenting the end, not wanting to leave the table, but looking forreward to the next visit.

By the Cover
   Compared with the Bach CD's liner notes, these are more refined: tri-lingual with Spanish and German on the inside and English with a nice cover photo on the back. To make room for more back bio, the times for each movement are placed on the inside back cover, a nice touch. Another good thing about the bio: if you read the English version with the Bach release, you can save yourself the effort here because it's a verbatim transcription from the earlier CD. The added picture is excellent; a nice addition.
   Also new is the spelling of the author of the Schubert notes. Bach CD's Perry Allaire is now Schubert's Perry Allair. Regardless of how his name is spelled, the notes are an ultra-brief but informative history of the instrument int he 19th century as much as they are about Schubert and his music. Javier Calderon, a Schubert promotional committee of ONE, has initiated the arrangement of the music shared on this CD, and as you will hear, does so with considerable success. Included in the four pages is a picture of Schubert's guitar.  Did you know Beethoven wrote nothing for guitar? It's true according to Allair/Allaire. You won't believe who else wrote nothing for the instrument (and it was a part of the scene at the time) . . .  but you'll have to purchase the CD to find out. It surprised me for sure!
   Time durations are repeated, along with the back cover color photo of the artist, on the back of the CD case.

By the Music
    1. Commencing with a familiar melody, delicately arranged and presented, Calderon puts the listener at ease with this excellent first track. Nothing experimental is going on here. This is meat and potatoes. well served.
   2. Another fine selection. Pery Perry notes that this piece was not a part of Schubert's original "collected works" officially released after his death. It's a fine story.
  Placing "Musical Moments" (tracks 3. -- 8) at AFTER the two earlier tracks is another astute touch. Allair explains they were "written between 1823 and 1872 and gathered together for publication in 1828, the last year of the composer's life..." The effort is that of artists poems and short stories as well, who, sensing the end is near, repackage their work  A poet who hasn't sold well for years may produce a special "Best of" or "Selected Poems by" to keep the cash flow going, often a futile effort. On a smaller scale, this was Franz Schubert's approach. The result, as the last note of track 8 fades, is as poingnant as the presentation has been enjoyable.  Schubert is credited with being a "master of the miniature form." Don't look for any thematic echoes to repeat in these "moments:" there aren't any. They are a gathering of disparate musical creations, easy on the ears thanks to Calderon's skill. Some will ring familiar (especially Moment No. 3) and all ring true. Not unexpectedly, all seem  particularly well suited for guitar. .
    Javier Calderon's interest in making more early classical works accessible to the modern guitar is, perhaps, worthy of greater acclaim worldwide than his obvious mastery of the instrument. Technically he hits the mark almost every time; hardly a dead plucked string or intruding, unscripted note dragged into the flow in the two CDs I've been privlieged to review. Like at least one other classical composer whose works were intended for piano, though for years, this reviewer never imagined how that could be true, Calderon's ability to "make" earlier music "his" with his deft arranging skill elevates this performer to a cut above many guitarists who have graced Springfield, Illinois with their concert performances. I hope other professional guitarists will get to know this man's arrangements via his CDs and via contact and acquisition of transcriptions to add to their own repertories. I believe Schubert, especially, well played on six strings will delight audiences and make for better concerts than the usual (yawn) almost cliched traditional performance tunes. I look forward to Calderon's return someday soon to Springfield town, to share some Schubert and whatever else he likes. I suspect many Springfieldians who heard him March 27, 2007, feel the same.

By the cover

    The four page liner notes are first rate. The abstract image and simple cover impart an allure that gives appropriate portent to the musical content of the CD. The centerspread of notes re content read like a breeze, and the large SFGQ in the lower right keep the reader connected to the featured performing artists. The back page includes an informal color snap of them in street clothes in a "just hangin' around" mode, a refreshing gtimpse of happy. confident musicians who enjoy life. An unconventional, excellent approach.  The liner notes bring the reader up to date regarding the music. Consider them required reading before hearing a note of music. It would have been even better if individual times for each tune (Opals has three, and PB Dances has five) so radio personalities could better arrange their programs.   Each tune is a separate flower unto itself, so it's unfortunate they're optimized only for "bouquet mode" when shared with PBS airwaves.
    The black & white back cover picture shows the Q with instruments, but again, engaging the camera and CD shopper with smiles. This is a contemporary look, and it works very well.  Time durations for each "band" are shared not as 9:12, the traditional way, but as 9'12". Is this part of the San Francisco way, or simply in harmony with fast-changing times? It works okay, once you get used to it.

By the music

  Sparkling modern harmonies! I could leave it at that, but I won't, because I want you to know I'm not just being lazy and cute in considering this CD produced during the first year of our new millenium; not the last year of the old one (as anyone who can count to 10 from 1 understands). These guys are tight with their tempo and timing and generous with their energy.
   They are atmospheric pieces. "No lights on" pieces. "Who needs to light a match to inhale these" pieces?, especially Opals. If you think no decent guitar music was written after Lincoln died, there may be too much starch in your ears for you to derive maxiumum enjoyment from these glittering panoplies of melodies. Consider that fair warning. Also consider that an invitation to take a flying leap into the 21st century even though Boccherini (included on this CD) is today dust.
   The Q adds depth to music. It's hard to imagine that Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (NOT on this CD) was created for solo piano before it became a symphonic work, thanks to an upstart named Ravel. Depth is good. It makes the result more the composer's and arranger's than the imagined grimacing soloist. It's not likely David Duenas, Sharon Wayne, Mark Simons and Chris Hanford were grimacing at any moment when playing the music shared on Black Opal.
   Whenever I encounter music from the land of Jobim, I sense my dad, who, according to official sources, came from North Carolina, REALLY came from Rio de Janiero. The closing tunes by Celso Machado have just about convinced me of this. These blissful melodic romps are more fun than skipping down the side walk when you're nine years old. I remember. I know.
   I also know that my reaction to the sudden exclamatory concluding note (!) on this CD was DANG! It's OVER! Give me MORE! I suppose that if your head doesn't belong SOLELY and SOUL-ly to the traditional centuries-old school whose music continues to delight and awe listners (including this earnest reviewer) to this day, your reaction to this CD will be the same!

By the cover
   The cover photo is as much about the shadow as the talented guitarist who renders it; a nice production. This reviewer has encountered a heaping helping of CDs since I began reviewing CDs five years ago and until this example, I have not found a catalog promotion panel by the producers CD. It's like a arriving for a first date with a girl and being introduced by her parents to her dating-age sisters as your company for dinner and a movie descends the stairs. The other four pages (panels) present a brief bio of the artist recorded on the CD and three pages of acknowledgement and notes about CD content, including three brief descriptions by the living composers of the works and the rest by Sharon Wayne. It's a good read; enough to satisfy the hungry mind without ladling on more detail than one can comfortably digest.
   On the other hand, what about that title? If your best title option is a time-worn cliche, the likes of "honestly and truly," "sharing and caring," "people helping people" and "have a nice day," you might want to read more contemporary literature before naming your next production. In the grand scheme of CD production this is a mere two-cent consideration, but it is worth two cents.
   The CD back cover includes time durations for each movement, a good idea. Only the conspicuously large razzle-dazzle presence of the CD producer's logo appears, metaphorically "the wierd uncle we didn't intend to invite to our party" element in the very well designed and tasteful back cover. If the reader is saying "To a dark, far corner with the graphics! What about the music?" That's okay. So am I.

By the music
    Kudos to the graceful practitioner for sharing a world diversity of mainstream sounds which will grate on almost no one's delicately balanced ears, I predict, while engaging nearly all of them and enrapturing quite a few. My ears belong to the latter category. It is a generous serving: a few minutes more than an hour for readers who weigh their purchases by the minute.
    1. The first selection is like a lark in May: a sweet clarion harbinger of what's coming, well chosen and very well rendered. Manuel Ponce may be the Western hemisphere's most engaging composer north of Brazil and for good reason.
2. Dusan Bogdanovic, born in 1955, is new to this reviewer, and thanks entirely to Sharon Wayne who also shares his music on Black Opal reviewed at this page also. His music is atmospheric and lyrically melodic, a tough combination to deliver well. The experts tell us he draws heavily from Eastern European sources, though my inexperience with that sound prevents me from appreciating it. What I hear of the sum total is as rewarding to the ear as it is appealing, which is "considerably."
3. Mallorca is a chestnut that needs no roasting on an open fire to mellow the soul.
4. Somewhere in the title is "homage" in the language of a diminishing percentage of citizens of the USA. As Wayne explains in the liner notes, the sombre lament was written after Debussy's death in 1920. It is haunting, yet accessible to the ear. It borders on the tedious, but that's keeping with the point of it. As B.B. King might say, "Ain't nobody gonna be dong the two-step during this number." It leaves no dilemmas when the music stops.
    While we're in this realm, may we consider how appropriate it might be to translate to modern American, in parenthesis (so to speak) the titles of music written by men and women of distant nations? First time listeners will better understand the titles, sans liner notes, and seasoned devotees will be happy as well. I'm not advocating the translation of movement titles to American. Adagio by any other name would not seem authentic, so let allego molto remain allegro molto; capische?,
   5. This selection puts at risk my earlier boast that not even grandmother could fault the selections on this CD. The "atonal" composition is long enough for the first time listener to approach appreciation for that modality, but short enough that it won't force traditionalists to punch the "next selection" button.
   6. Sharon Wayne's arrangement for guitar of this olden goldie written originally composed for solo violin, optimizes the production for the instrument at hand and adds considerable substance to the original as Bach's own transcriptions for violin, lute and organ. The result is exemplary Wayne and a fine presentation.
  7. Morel is like Hallmark on a birthday card: always gold nugget quality and in the best of taste. To say more about Sonatina here is to needlessly guild this mellow, complex and affirmative composition.
  8.  There's more Ponce to the ounce in this fine recording than you're likely to find in a typical CD not dedicated to him. Though Mexican, the composer was influenced greatly by Segovia, and the Iberio-Mexican result is a fortuitous confluence of sound, this piece particularly so with its "elements of late Romantic, Impressionistic and Popular music."
  9.  What do we miss with the guitar which we could have with the lute? As Wayne explains in the liner notes, the older instrument permitted a wider bass cleff range, not possible with the more limiting modern cousin, or grand child, as the case may be. One can only wonder what else we might be missing. Thanks to her fine arrangement, this reviewer concludes: next to nil. As she explains, Weiss, a contemporary of JSB, was the most prolific composer for solo lute. This arrangement, though slightly modernized, provides a fascinating glimpse into the musical lexicon of that earlier time dominated by the organ and choir.
  10. Bogdanovic writes, "I wrote Mysterious Habitats especially for Sharon." With friends like that, a lady can go a long way, and Sharon Wayne obviously has, to the delight of her legion of fans. The composition fits her, evokes what this reviewer knows of her, like a tailor made ensemble from a Paris fashion house. It is not ostentatious, yet it engages the ears from the first note. It is also exceedingly mellow, the bouquet of a mature Burgundy. It was an ideal choice for the final selection. It ends with a single note, modestly plucked, poignantly understated, and masterfully shared. 

To SCGS Artists In Review, page 3
To SCGS Artists In Review, page 2
To SCGS Artists In Review, page 1
To Classical 6 Images, SCGS home page
To Job Conger's Arts Round Table here