Search - Joaquin Rodrigo, Erich Kunzel, Naples Philharmonic :: Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un Gentilhombre; Concierto para una Fiesta

Nicely Balanced, Solid Recording Does Justice to Rodrigo

Neil Cotiaux | North Canton, Ohio United States | 12/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Guitarist David Russell and the Naples Philharmonic - Florida, not Italy, and under the baton of Erich Kunzel - more than acquit themselves with three of the late Spanish composer's works, all well-engineered and delivered with appropriate balance between guitar and orchestra. "Concierto de Aranjuez", Rodrigo's signature composition, one that has been recorded numerous times and also served as the inspiration for jazz trumpeter Miles Davis' 1959-60 disc "Sketches of Spain", is given first-rate treatment here. "Concierto para una Fiesta", the last of Rodrigo's works for solo guitar and orchestra, is, to this listener, almost equally as evocative and warmly rendered as "Aranjuez", with some rich, oaken sounds in the andante and crystalline runs by Russell in the allegro. "Fiesta" was commissioned by a Texas couple in honor of their daughters and was the work that prompted me to purchase this disc after hearing it on public radio - a great accompaniment to "Aranjuez" and, for my taste, superior to the baroque-tinged "Fantasia para un Gentilhombre" that separates the two.



Unless you follow guitar music closely and demand a performance by a certain soloist (say, Pepe Romero), you can't go wrong with this set of polished performances. And the notes - which includes a wonderful photo of a young, beaming Russell, guitar in hand and sitting beside the aging and blind Rodrigo - is a nice bonus."