This release is a captivating album by a popular folk group from Coimbra, Portugal's cultural capital. Portugal is a popular year-round locale, not only as a vacation destination in the Summer, but also for it's timeless folk and fado music. The present album is the perfect gift for Portuguese fans. Grupo Folclorico de Coimbra, a non-profit cultural association, was founded in 1986. It's main aim is to collect, study, recreate and revive the popular traditions of Coimbra, in the areas of singing, dance, costumes, poetry and life of Coimbra in the late eighteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century. Today the group, of whom all members are past or present students and also employees of the University of Coimbra, has a repertoire of over 90 songs in two main areas: songs of very diverse types, from satire, work songs, religious songs to serenades, and dance, which include urban dances and those of the surrounding rural areas. They perform regularly in Portugal as well as abroad. They have presented their traditions in Hungary, France, Spain, Lithuania, the Canary Islands, Egypt, Brazil, and Canada. "This is a rarity... For fans of Portuguese music with a curious ear." (Allmusic USA)

From Danza Fuego comes this exciting album of flamenco music. The nineteen fast, furious, and hot tracks laden with astounding guitar fireworks brilliantly display this beloved Spanish artform. Danza Fuego is a flamenco group which plays traditional flamenco instruments such as guitars, bandoneon, percussion, timbales, castanets, flute, cello, and more. This release was recorded at Danza Fuego Studio in Weinheim, Germany, and is dedicated to the memory of Frederico Garcia Lorca.

Turina’s principal works are conceived for large forces and on a broad canvas, but he turned to the piano for the creation of suites of evocative miniatures throughout his life. Martin Jones has been one of Britain’s most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award. The same year he made his London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and his New York debut at Carnegie Hall, and ever since has been in demand for recitals and concerto performances on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a prolific recording artist and his many major projects include the complete solo piano works of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Grainger, Stravinsky, Korngold, Szymanowski, Granados, Guastavino, Mompou, Ernesto Halffter, Joaquin Nin, Has Gál, Jean Françaix, Jean Roger-Ducasse, and Alan Richardson. “Martin Jones as a recording artist has been part of my listening experience for almost as long as I’ve been collecting albums. Seeing his distinguished and still active career celebrated by Nimbus Records in this way is a true delight.” (Dominy Clements, musicweb-international.com)

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REVIEW:

Martin Jones, one of Britain’s most highly-regarded pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award, offers a beautiful rendering of Spanish composer Joaquin Turina’s piano works, compiling an earlier recording from 1999 with some newer ones. These are miniatures that evoke dance rhythms of Spain. Cinco Danzas is especially well done, but there could be some small disagreements with interpretation. IV has a wonderful rhythmic feel, with evenness of playing. 'Fiesta’ has a sense of dynamic growth, with a constant ostinato-like rhythm. 'Danza Ritmica’ could have a quieter opening (it is marked pianissimo and lighter). To nitpick a little, the work could be a hair faster. Jones could aim for longer phrasing, especially in the running 16th notes that occur often. His range of sound is impressive. 'Seguriya’, marked allegro vivo, could be approached with a quicker pace. His use of the left hand articulation, slightly non legato, brings out the melodic line perfectly, and the work comes to a wonderful finish. The start of El Castillo de Almodovar is extremely beautiful, but I do wish for a more ominous and softer turn, as that movement is marked ppp. Still, besides these quibbles, this recording is a delight.

– American Record Guide (Sang Woo Kang)

Issac Albeniz, the pre-eminent Spanish composer was a prolific composer, especially of piano music. Presented here is a collection of his works performed by the celebrated pianist, Martin Jones. Included in this collection are pieces that were left unfinished at the time of Albeniz’s death and completed by Martin Jones. Martin Jones has been one of Britain’s most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award. The same year he made his London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and his New York debut at Carnegie Hall, and ever since has been in demand for recitals and concerto performances on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a prolific recording artist and his many major projects include the complete solo piano works of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Grainger, Stravinsky, Korngold, Szymanowski, Granados, Guastavino, Mompou, Ernesto Halffter, Joaquin Nin, Has Gál, Jean Françaix, Jean Roger-Ducasse, and Alan Richardson.

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REVIEW:

Altogether this is a well stocked and representative survey of Albéniz's colourful and imaginative piano music and Martin Jones is as always a convincing advocate; I am always impressed with character and panache that he brings to all that he plays. The liner notes are informative though are in English only. A marvellous collection of the best of Albéniz' piano music.

– MusicWeb International

Viguela have been dedicated to traditional music from the center of the Iberian Peninsula for thirty years. In 2014 Viguela began reviewing their own approach to the interpretation of traditional music, taking a step further in recovering their archaic musical language- focusing on the person's interpretation and musicality rather than techniques taught at academies. They perform not only at renowned festivals such as WOMAD in 2017 but also on the streets of Spain. As a 100% acoustic band, Viguela can bring their street "ronda" to any place and sing to your public face to face. "... one of the greatest folk groups from the heart of Spain... " (World Music Central) "... Filled with creativity, optimism and joy." (Folkways) "... Full of reality, human presence, intensity- musically and technically perfect." (Mazurkas of the World Festival)

Performances imbued with spirit.

It’s valuable to revisit this very late example of Youra Guller’s pianism. I’ve reviewed a Tahra disc devoted to some up-and-down Chopin performances (see review) so that’s also the place to go for biographical matters. Her life was without doubt remarkable. Other performances are also contained in the same company’s series devoted to French pianists (see review) which brings us Guller’s beautiful account of the Chopin Mazurkas.
 
Here we have something different. They are recordings made in September 1975, five or so years before her death. The studio ensures that things are rather more consistent than the first Tahra disc cited above. The finger-slips are not to me especially worrying, and are to be heard in the context of engaged and strong performances given at the age of eighty.
 
Her Bach-Liszt enshrines elevated playing, a touch free and textually thickened in places. But there is clarity in her fugues, a quality that is sometimes occluded via her pedalling in the Preludes. This is perhaps an inevitable corollary of her age, but it hardly limits admiration for her playing as such. She evinces charm in the Mateo Albeniz Sonata, a very brief and delightful souvenir of her art on the smallest canvas imaginable. She is equally persuasive and imaginative in the Couperin, one of a sequence of baroque pieces for keyboard to which she brings precision and – in the case of the Rameau – pellucid dynamics.
 
The Chopin Ballade is strongly argued but rather fallible with quite a few missed notes; the Etude may have given her some problems too. One feels her tire throughout the Ballade performance and things, both digital and rhythmic, tend to suffer accordingly. Still, we can end with her Granados. Andaluza is imbued with the spirit of wistful melancholy and though the Oriental takes time to get going, it gets there in the end.
 
This is a good souvenir of Guller’s art. Despite its date it gives a reasonable indication of her repertoire interests, and the quality of her musicianship. The recording quality is reasonable for the time, the performances imbued with spirit.
 
-- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International