We wanted to share some excerpts today from a grand review from The Contrapuntist on our recent release “Reinventing Guitar” by Smaro Gregoriadou, and encourage you to read through the review at http://thecontrapuntist.com. The review is by a classical guitarist and goes into great depth about the pieces and instruments Smaro used, so it is definitely worth a read.
“Reinventing Guitar is a festival for the ears that explores the different acoustic possibilities offered by Kertsopoulos Æsthetic guitars. The various guitars allowed Gregoriadou to interpret early music more authentically and offered a glimpse into the future acoustic possibilities of the guitar. After listening to other classical guitar CDs in my collection, it does sound as if the three guitars used throughout the album resonate louder than standard classical guitars…”
“The most interesting arrangement is the Lute Suite in G minor, BWV 995 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Cellists will recognize this work as the Cello Suite in C minor, BWV 1011. Bach arranged the work for the lute. Normally guitarists transpose the piece from G minor to A minor. By contrast, Gregoriadou’s arrangement is in C minor and is performed on a triple-double-single course guitar. From the first plucked note, the instrument projects a harpsichord-like quality with a brighter, yet round tone. The interpretation maintains the stylistic nuances of the period by effectively using ornamentation and embellishments to convey the character of each movement. I especially like how the use of courses brought out harmonic textures in the Prelude, Courante and Gigue. Classical guitarists will likely debate about the authenticity of the interpretation, but this may very well represent a more accurate depiction of what Bach intended…”
“The “Balkan Dances” is one of the few compositions which uses two different instruments. Balkan Dance No. 1 uses the same instrument as was used for the Scarlatti Sonata. The contemporary work written by Gergoriadou, based on a Bulgarian folk theme, is rich with exotic harmonies and rhythms…”
“As a whole, Reinventing Guitar offers the guitar connoisseur a new way of listening to standard repertoire and includes some enjoyable modern compositions. Classical guitar professionals and students should add this recording to their collection…”
Read the full article at TheContrapuntist.com