Marchielie: Don Quixote &
Dulcinea; Eclipse; 3 Estampes; Dance.
American Record
Guide
MARCHIELIE:
Don Quixote & Dulcinea; Eclipse; 3 Estampes; Dance; REBAY: Waltz; Tango;
HAUSWIRTH: Konzertino: GNATTALI: Sonata; HEMENGER: Songs from America; JENTSCH:
Sonata
Michael Kevin Jones, vc; Agustin Maruri, guitar
Emec 63--75 minutes
With the exception of Gnattali, I did not know any of these composers before
putting the disc in my player. Nor did I expect the unusual pairing of cello
and guitar to be particularly revelatory or even reasonable. I was wrong. This
release gripped me immediately, largely because of the superb playing of Jones
and Maruri. Cellist Jones is the main attraction, his magnificent tone and
expansive phrasing an irresistible figure against the ground of Maruri's
accompaniment. The music is largely conservative, neoromantic fare; without
Jones's beguiling cello I suspect much of it would be forgettable.
The six works by French composer Erik Marchelie that open the program are the
most satisfying of the safely lyrical pieces here; Marchelie's rich harmonies
and soaring melodies are ideally suited to Jones and Maruri's approach. Works
by Ferdinand Rebay and Hans Hauswirth inhabit the same tonal landscape, but by
this point in the program I was itching for something less saccharine. To my
surprise, Gnattali's sonata largely failed to deliver on this front; it is
blander, formally stiffer than much of his music, and it is not until III that
it really leaps out with some spirited textures and exchanges between the two
instruments.
Seven American folk song and spiritual arrangements by the young American
composer Drew Hemenger follow. The almost vocal directness of Jones's playing
carries these simple arrangements. It is not until the final work that a real
affective contrast finally arrives: Walter Jentsch's sonata, one of several
world premiere recordings here, is coarse, angular, and austere. After so much
triadic sweetness its effect is paradoxical: a bitter palette cleanser.
The packaging is very attractive, the sound is excellent--with a realistic
balance between guitar and cello--and the notes are extensive.