Isaac Albéniz
is perhaps Spain’s most famous and recognized
composer. Strangely enough, in a nation
so associated with the guitar, Albéniz
actually composed no guitar music. He
did however admit that the instrument
was his inspiration for a number of
works and there are many successful
guitar transcriptions that have become
standards.
A pianist first, Albéniz
showed great promise as a very young
boy, but was not allowed into the Paris
Conservatory because of his lack of
maturity. Instead he studied in Madrid
and later in Leipzig. During his young
adulthood, his fame as a pianist grew
and he toured Europe playing concerts.
While abroad, he fell heavily under
the influence of the French Impressionists,
and became friends with such luminaries
as Chausson, D’Indy and Fauré.
In spite of his fondness for things
French, his strongest influence was
from Felipe Pedrell (1841-1922), a professor
and researcher of Spanish music, who
was insistent that Spanish composers
should write Spanish music, using the
folk tunes of the homeland as a model
for more serious works. Thanks to Pedrell,
Albéniz maintained the distinctively
Spanish sound that would permeate his
entire output.
In this first-ever
arrangement for guitar of Albéniz’s
most famous work, Iberia, Christophe
Dejour has managed to capture quite
successfully the colourful and complex
score by recasting the work for not
one, but three instruments. Dejour exploits
all of the technical possibilities of
his instruments to achieve a wide palette
of sounds and subtle shadings. The results
are both exciting and adventuresome.
His trio plays with
verve and rhythmic drive, vividly capturing
the ever-present dance motifs throughout
the score. As a suite for piano, Iberia
is a real finger-buster at times.
Dejour has managed to keep all of the
complexity in the score, giving all
three members of his ensemble plenty
of exercise. They play with precision
and vigour, although I did find that
at times major cadences came to a bit
of a grinding halt as though the group
had to catch its breath before starting
up again. That little qualm aside, however,
this disc makes for over an hour of
very pleasant listening, and captures
a refreshing new take on a well-worn
masterpiece.
Recorded sound is a
bit close for my taste, I hear more
studio than room ambience, and I prefer
the more natural bloom of a big space.
Since this was recorded in a chapel,
one can reasonably assume at least a
decent acoustic, and it should have
been exploited a bit more than it was.
Notes are concise and informative, although
wanting in discussion about the arrangements
themselves as they relate to the original
piano score.
Recommended, especially
for lovers of the guitar.
Kevin Sutton
Trio Campanella: Christophe Dejour, Frank Massa
and Thomas Winthereik, guitars 
