Eos Guitar Quartet - El alma de Paco
A Tribute to Paco de Lucía On the seventh
anniversary of his death, the Spanish master guitarist Paco de Lucía is
the focus of the Eos Guitar Quartet’s new CD. For the four musicians,
his music, his innovative power and not least their personal contact
with him were a constant source of inspiration. As an expression of
this great admiration, the Eos Guitar Quartet asked the three composers,
Leo Brouwer, John McLaughlin and José Antonio Rodríguez, to compose
works for the ensemble under the motto «Tribute to Paco de Lucía». The
results are an outstanding enrichment to the guitarquartet’s repertoire.
In the spirit of Paco, the Eos Guitar Quartet plays original
compositions by Marcel Ege and David Sautter alongside three dances by
Manuel de Falla. The voice of the legendary flamenco singer Carmen
Linares and the subtle accompaniment of the percussionist Ricardo
Espinosa add a special dimension to the CD.
-> order (e-mail Michael Winkler)
José Antonio Rodríguez 01 - "El alma de Paco" ** Introducción - Lento - Final
David Sautter 02 - Axa, Fátima y Marién ** (Fantasie, basierend auf "Las morillas de Jaén" von Federico García Lorca)
Marcel Ege 03 - Medianoche (Bulerías) **
Manuel de Falla 04 - El sombrero de tres picos: danza de la molinera ++ 05 - El sombrero de tres picos: danza de los vecinos + 06 - La vida breve: danza española N° 1 ++
Leo Brouwer “El quejío del poeta duende“ ** (In memoriam Paco de Lucía) 07 - Fandango de las cositas buenas 08 - Quejío del poeta duende 09 - El trébol de cuatro hojas
Marcel Ege 10 - El alba (Seguiriyas) ** 11 - Paquiro ** (Fantasie, basierend auf "El café de Chinitas" von Federico García Lorca)
John McLaughlin 12 - Soñando con el sonido ** +++
+ arrangement: Martin Pirktl ++ arrangement: Gianvincenzo Cresta +++ arrangement: Julio Azcano ** composed for the Eos Guitar Quartet
Beginning in the 1980s, guitarist Paco de Lucía brought the
flamenco in its instrumental, virtuosic variety closer to an audience
which up until that point had mostly been listening to jazz and rock
music. Forty years later, the Swiss Eos Guitar Quartet presents an
homage to the legendary Spanish musician. The “grande dame” of flamenco
vocals, Carmen Linares, is featured on two of the pieces. Percussion and
rhythmic support is delivered by Ricardo Espinosa. The artistic
approach of this new, diverse production is grounded in the present. Seven
years after Paco de Lucía’s passing, the Swiss guitarists commissioned
new pieces in the style of Paco de Lucía’s. Leo Brouwer, John
McLaughlin, José Antonio Rodríguez and two members from their own ranks
took on this artistic challenge. The results which can be heard here
and which in several cases mark the first time these pieces have ever
been recorded, and which are brimming with variety, tell us one thing
above all: Flamenco is a worldly, open, musical heritage of humanity: In
these pieces, as well as in the impressive playing techniques of the
Eos Guitar Quartet, we find a lively togetherness of old traditions, new
improvisational techniques, folk music of various cultures, and even
classic and jazz.
In Flamenco, a single concert guitar can, if played in a virtuosic
and spirited manner, move mountains. When the four guitarists of the Eos
Guitar Quartet combine their performances in a collective on equal
footing, the magic expands even further. At the same time, Julio Azcano,
Marcel Ege, David Sautter and Michael Winkler are all expressively
individualistic characters, whose objectives find expression in their
experimental approach to guitar playing. The long opening title of
the album “El alma de Paco” bears the hallmarks of José Antonio
Rodríguez, the great concert guitarist from Córdoba. Right from the
start, it opens up room for the delicate playing techniques of the Eos
Guitar Quartet. When the musicians call out “Paco!“ at the end, this is a
reminder of the atmosphere of Paco de Lucía’s legendary live
performances, at the end of which the audience oftentimes excitedly
exclaimed the name of this guitar idol. As an exclusive highlight on
this recording is featured the unusual voice of “cantaora” Carmen
Linares. First in David Sautter’s piece “Aixa, Fátima y Marién,” one of
the newly reworked compositions based on a song by Federico García
Lorca, Granada’s legendary poet. In the later part of the program, the
singer Carmen Linares lifts up her voice once more, this time in a
composition by Marcel Ege which is based on the Peteneras “Café de
Chinitas,” from the popular book of songs by Federico García Lorca. Quartet
member Marcel Ege created additional new compositions in which he
engages with old styles in order to write his Bulerías “Medianoche” and a
dance in Seguiriya style with the title “El alba.” Gianvincenzo Cresta
and Martin Pirktl – the latter a former member of the Eos Guitar Quartet
– applied themselves to a new adaptation of three dances by Manuel de
Falla. The Cuban Leo Brouwer has been convinced of the outstanding
qualities of the Eos Guitar Quartet for years. In his three-part suite
"El quejío del poeta duende – In memoriam Paco de Lucía,” he creates
another monument to the guitar legend. While doing so, he also presents
further elements of the Flamenco, such as the dance figure of the
Fandango, which in turn inspired Luigi Boccherini and Domenico
Scarlatti. It is known that both of these Italian composers felt
magically drawn to this archaic Andalusian music tradition. In addition,
Brouwer’s new piece allows us a re-consideration of the rondeñas, those
distinctive features with which Paco de Lucía’s used to begin his
concerts. Towards the end of the program, John McLaughlin expresses
his high appreciation for the Eos Guitar Quartet with his composition
“Soñando con el sonido,” written specifically for this recording. The
British jazz guitarist has been influenced by Indian and Andalusian
music since the 1970s. Especially the collaboration with Paco de Lucía
made him want to share such influences with the Western audience. With
its album “El alma de Paco,” the Eos Guitar Quartet helps to bring about
a thrilling new edition of such a widening of horizons. Eos Guitar Quartet In
1988, guitarists Marcel Ege, Martin Pirktl, David Sautter and Michael
Winkler formed a quartet in Zurich. Shortly after, they chose to name
their quartet Eos, after the Greek goddess of dawn. In 2013, Martin
Pirktl left the quartet and was replaced by the Argentinian guitarist
Julio Azcano. From 2011 until 2014, the Eos Guitar Quartet organized the
“InGuitar” festival in Winterthur. The ensemble enjoys an outstanding
international reception as “one of the few exceptional formations of its
kind” (Basler Zeitung) and performs concerts and festivals in Córdoba,
Havana, or Moscow. In 2015, the ensemble embarked on an extensive tour
of China. So far, the quartet has released eight recordings. The list of
prominent and very distinct musical personalities which have dedicated
their pieces to the Eos Guitar Quartet is impressive: among them,
Egberto Gismonti, Pierre Favre, Fred Frith, Christy Doran, Ralph Towner,
Wolfgang Muthspiel, Sérgio Assad and – last but not least – Paco de
Lucía himself.
|