ntic Mandolin Moments 98.453 [RB]: Classical CD Reviews- Jan 2004 MusicWeb(UK)

	Purchase Brilliant Classics from MusicWeb - "CLICK" here

Classical CD and DVD reviews. Make a regular donation(£1, £2, £5) here MusicWeb is not a subscription site and our advertisers help pay for it. Please visit their sites regularly to see if anything might interest you. Purchasing from them keeps MusicWeb free.

Classical Editor: Rob Barnett Founder Len Mullenger

BUY NOW

Crotchet AmazonUK AmazonUS

Romantic Mandolin Moments
Astor PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992)
Histoire du Tango
Niccolo PAGANINI (1782-1840)
From Centone di Sonata: Sonate IV
Valdo PREEMA (b.1969)
Sincerely
Enrico MARUCELLI (1877-1907)
Capriiccio Zingaresco
Valtzer Fantastico
Raimo KANGRO (1859-1911)
Alla sincerone
Carlo MUNIER (1859-1911)
Concerto Op. 163
Aria Variata
Lepo SUMERA (1950-2000)
For BBB and his friend
J.S. BACH (1685-1750) arr. Zoltan KODALY (1882-1967)
Prelude in C minor - Kantilene
J. REVAUX, C. FRANCOIS, G. THIBAUT
My Way
Detlef Tewes (mandolin)
Boris-Bjorn Bagger (guitar)
HÄNSSLER CD98.453 [73.44]

Sentimental mood music done with skill and taste. The mandolin with its balalaika accent meets the serenading guitar. The selection is generous and the choice well guided. It will not do as unassuming audio muzak. It mixes eras in a lively way.

Much of the music is at a slow pulse and some has a sultry Iberian savour. The Paganini follows the superb Piazzolla suite. Freshly inventive pieces such as the fast chant determination of the Kangro contrast with the spiffing nineteenth century flashiness and tremolo of the Munier pieces. The Aria variata is well worth getting to know.

I expected the Sumera to be worth waiting for and it was. It starts with strummed chords from the guitar like the riffs from Pinball Wizard with the mandolin keeping up a fast-pecking pulse. The mandolin is called on to chuckle and hesitate but both instruments also have to keep up regular minimalistic ostinati; neither is allowed exclusive lead status. The mandolin's ascent to dizzily plucked heights at 3.15 is specially memorable. How surprising as well to find Kodaly arranging Bach for guitar and mandolin ... but it works well

The Preema, Kangro and Sumera pieces were specially written for Bagger and Tewes. They were the arrangers of the Marucelli, Munier and Paganini.

The contrived slider fade at the end of My Way (the last track) was, I think, a miscalculation however you can programme the sequence from your remote - although how many do?
Rob Barnett

Advertising Rates
Visitor stats
MusicWeb International
has over 21,000 Classical CD reviews on offer

Gerard Hoffnung Concerts &
The Bricklayer Story

Purchase Brilliant Classics

New Releases

MusicWeb sells the Polish
catalogue CDAccord
£10.50 post free W-W

MusicWeb sells the
Arcodiva catalogue
£12.00 post free W-W

Price Reduction: £11.00
post-free world-wide
Try it and see - Sale or Return

MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues:
Prices include postage

[Acte Préalable £13.50]
[Arcodiva £12.00]
[Avie from £6.25]
Brilliant Classics
[British Music Society £13.49]
[CDACCORD from £10.50 ]
[ClassicO £12.50]
[Hallé from £11]
[Hortus £14.99 ]
[Lyrita ONLY £11.00 ]
LYRITA Sale or Return
[Onyx £12.00 ]
ONYX Sale or Return
[REDCLIFFE £11 ]
[Tactus £11.50 ]
[Talent from £12.00 ]
[Toccata Classics £12.50 ]

DISCS OF THE YEAR 2007


Return to Index

Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board. Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer..

You can purchase CDs and Save around 22% with these retailers: