Kaleidoscope - Premiere Record
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KALEIDOSCOPE • Raymond Burley, Gregg Nestor (gtr) • CAMBRIA CD-1193 (71:30) RÓZSA Kaleidoscope. POULENC Sonata. DEBUSSY Children’s Corner Suite. BEAULIEU Celestial Suite: Dawn; Nocturne (To...
KALEIDOSCOPE • Raymond Burley, Gregg Nestor (gtr) • CAMBRIA CD-1193 (71:30)
RÓZSA Kaleidoscope. POULENC Sonata. DEBUSSY Children’s Corner Suite. BEAULIEU Celestial Suite: Dawn; Nocturne (To The Clouds). DEÁK Introspections. TURINA Danzas fantásticas
Raymond Burley and Gregg Nestor have worked together before—there’s an interesting-looking BSX Records CD, for example, featuring both of them, and other musicians to boot, playing music by Miklós Rózsa—but this appears to be their first CD “alone together,” as it were. The arrangements are by Nestor, except for the work by Michael Deák, which was composed for two guitars. In the case of the two movements from the Celestial Suite by Toni Beaulieu (née Leone de Paolis), the booklet note doesn’t indicate if this is an arrangement or an original work for two guitars. For the record, Rósza’s, Debussy’s, and Turina’s works were composed for the piano—the orchestral version of Danzas fantásticas came later—and Poulenc’s Sonata is the one for horn, trumpet, and trombone. The latter is a work that has completely escaped me until now!
There’s a tendency to assume that recitals of this type (or oboe discs, or trumpet discs, or what have you) are of interest primarily to listeners who also play those instruments. Balderdash, I say. I don’t play the guitar at all, but I enjoy guitar recitals, and I like it even better when more than one guitar is playing. As for arrangements, they don’t bother me as long as they are done well. These are. Julian Bream and John Williams recorded an enjoyable version of Debussy’s “Golliwog’s Cakewalk” on their Together Again CD, and there are versions of the entire Children’s Corner Suite for three guitars played by the Pro Arte Guitar Trio and the Trio de Cologne. It is, I think, rather beside the point to play “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum” on anything but a piano; nevertheless, Burley and Nestor make it, and the rest of the suite, work well on two guitars, although I think some of their tempos are too relaxed.
One could argue that some of the lesser-known repertoire on this disc is not terribly striking, and that the performances perhaps are mellower, overall, than they could be. (The Turina is more of a warm afternoon than a steamy night.) This, then, is a CD that is probably best enjoyed late in the day when one is looking more to be relaxed and entertained than to be pointedly critical or analytical. The guitarists play mellifluously and with both taste and style, and there is nothing here that will offend anyone’s ears or scruples. In other words, this is a lovely Kaleidoscope , so sit back and enjoy the pretty colors.
FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle
Product Description:
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Release Date: November 17, 2009
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UPC: 021475011933
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Catalog Number: CD1193
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Label: Cambria
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Number of Discs: 1
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Composer: Rozsa, Poulenc, Beaulieu, Deak
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Performer: Nestor, Burley