Miloš Karadagliæ — Aranjuez
I was hitherto unfamiliar with these composers / pieces, though I had heard them mentioned many times, but I've loved Debussy compositions for harp for some time, and the delicately percussive, spiralling arpeggiations of this music are quite similarly romantic and surreal.
Milos' touch is precise, light but always passionate, painting the landscapes within the pieces in highly legible and evocative fashion. Speaking from firsthand experience, this would function perfectly as an introductory recording to this style of music and these composers / pieces. The melodies glow boldly, and would begin to stick in the mind of any listener.
Milos and his accompaniment were wonderfully recorded and produced in luminous, vibrant high fidelity, and this album is a pleasure to listen to. The natural reverb of the room is simply lovely, particularly vast and glowing when Milos' guitar is playing alone.
The first 3 tracks, and centerpiece of the album, are Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez", 21 and a half minutes of music. Milos is accompanied here by an orchestra (the London Philharmonic), which according to the press release is a new situation for him. In traditional fashion, the strings play for a minute or two, introducing a strident melodic theme, before Milos is heard at all. When he does enter, it's with a dazzling, emotive scalar flourish, something he sustains for much of the piece, an ever developing cascade of melodic ideas.
After this, we are treated to a pair of short, wondrous solo guitar pieces by De Falla, and a lengthy 9 minute soliloquy penned by Rodrigo. The styles of the two composers are perfectly complimentary, and this part of the album has the soothing, contemplative garden feeling the best chamber music produces.
The orchestra returns for the final 3 movement suite by Rodrigo. Flutes and strings swell in and out, at times pulling back to leave the lone guitar, stair stepping up and down in endless circular motions, recalling the ceaseless polyphonies in Bach's music. The music is unquestionably dreamlike and lovely, the stuff that paved the way for the modern concept of 'romantic', and many a deeply emotional modern film score.
This recording is perfect as far as my ears can tell. Even if classical guitar isn't normally your style, this album works on enough different levels that you may find it to your liking. It's gentle enough to function as pleasant background music, certainly cerebral and expertly performed enough to be analyzed by hardcore fans of classical music, and perfectly recorded and produced. I highly recommend it.