Almost a Song - Contemporary Guitar
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Georges Delerue, Leo Brouwer, Antonio Ruiz-Pipó, Olivier Chassain, Edith Lejet, Hans Werner Henze, Stephen Dodgson, Toru Takemitsu
Label: Metronome
Magazine Review Date: 1/1998
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 69
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: METCD1021
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Kammermusik, Movement: Drei Tientos (solo guitar) |
Hans Werner Henze, Composer
Hans Werner Henze, Composer Olivier Chassain, Guitar |
| Preludios Epigrammaticos |
Leo Brouwer, Composer
Leo Brouwer, Composer Olivier Chassain, Guitar |
| All in Twilight |
Toru Takemitsu, Composer
Olivier Chassain, Guitar Toru Takemitsu, Composer |
| Etoiles |
Olivier Chassain, Composer
Olivier Chassain, Guitar Olivier Chassain, Composer |
| Graphic |
Georges Delerue, Composer
Georges Delerue, Composer Olivier Chassain, Guitar |
| Fantasy Divisions |
Stephen Dodgson, Composer
Olivier Chassain, Guitar Stephen Dodgson, Composer |
| Ontoñales |
Antonio Ruiz-Pipó, Composer
Antonio Ruiz-Pipó, Composer Olivier Chassain, Guitar |
| Almost a Song |
Edith Lejet, Composer
Edith Lejet, Composer Olivier Chassain, Guitar |
Author: John Duarte
At the age of 40 Olivier Chassain is not yet a household name on the British side of La Manche, nor does he offer any bait to tempt the cautious listener to part with his or her money; what he does bravely offer is a solid programme, superbly played. Only the Takemitsu is currently on the Gramophone Database (three versions). Chassain’s declared passion for contemporary music is not a merely superficial gesture of ‘with-it-ness’: his empathy with and understanding of it are clear in his shaping of every line, recognizing every vestige of song, and in the naturalness of his feeling for dynamic ebb and flow. At the service of these things is his finely honed technique and consistently refined ‘three-dimensional’ tone. The music speaks in various twentieth-century tongues, but not those of dodecaphony, aleatory or minimalism – which should go some way towards reassuring those of a nervous disposition – and a tonal centre is seldom far away.
I particularly liked Edith Lejet’s interplay of sonorities and exchange of roles in the ‘recapitulation’ (the structure is A-B-A). The compasses of the guitar (a ‘baritone’ instrument) and viola permit the two instruments to work either in complementary fashion, or to occupy the same pitch space, whilst separate in the latter case by their very different characteristics of tone and attack. Olivier Chassain is a true artist (and resourceful composer) – take this opportunity to hear him and to tug a respectful forelock.'
I particularly liked Edith Lejet’s interplay of sonorities and exchange of roles in the ‘recapitulation’ (the structure is A-B-A). The compasses of the guitar (a ‘baritone’ instrument) and viola permit the two instruments to work either in complementary fashion, or to occupy the same pitch space, whilst separate in the latter case by their very different characteristics of tone and attack. Olivier Chassain is a true artist (and resourceful composer) – take this opportunity to hear him and to tug a respectful forelock.'
Almost a Song - Contemporary Guitar
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