Chamber
CD and Other Review

Review: Songs Without Words (Grigoryan Brothers)

The Grigoryan Brothers have impressed in recent years with their ability to genre-hop without ever seeming out of place; their collaboration with the Tawadros brothers a few years ago was excellent. The repertoire here is primarily performances of vocal favourites by Dvorˇák, Fauré, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky, among others, re-worked for guitar duo. There are a few issues with the repertoire selection in that some pieces are rather more effective than others. For example, Rachmaninov’s famous Vocalise comes off a distinct second-best for a simple reason – the guitar’s lack of sustain means that the notes disappear long before they should. In some of the pieces, the duo seems to have realised this dilemma. Tchaikovsky’s None but the Lonely Heart is taken at such a rapid clip that it’s done and dusted in about two minutes, whereas most recordings usually take at least a minute more. Since this is simply the nature of the instrument, pieces that don’t rely quite so much on a single sustained note work considerably better. Manuel de Falla’s set of Seven Spanish Folk Songs are played very effectively, though I wish there was more rhythmic bite in some of them – Jacqueline du Pré… Continue reading Get…

July 21, 2017
Orchestral
CD and Other Review

Review: Hush Live In Concert

Hush Live in Concert is the 14th in a series of albums released to calm and comfort families facing stressful medical procedures. It’s a compilation of Hush Foundation recordings selected by former ABC Classic FM presenter Emma Ayres. Composer/pianist Paul Grabowsky states in the notes: “music has its roots in healing, dreaming, and story-telling”. Opening with two of his jazzy Ten Healing Songs, it becomes apparent from the outset that this is anything but the conventionally soothing Debussy for Daydreaming or Relaxation Made Easy style album. Andrea Keller’s A Castle for All is oddly uplifting as it cycles repetitively through the same series of chords. Brass, wind, and percussion instruments appear to improvise around Keller’s piano, and while it has plenty of musical tension, the overall feel is not a dark one. Tony Gould’s Gentle Conversations is as it sounds – a smattering of percussion, a gentle pulse, and a layering of instruments simulate just that. Though magnificently portrayed by the Grigoryan brothers, Songs with Strings is perhaps a touch too intense and emotionally confronting for an album attempting to reduce stress. Mark Isaacs’ romantic and visually evocative The Wind in the Willows is more fitting; one can just imagine a…

December 20, 2014