Alvaro Toscano : Crystal : CD

MOMPOU: Musica Callada – 1.Angelico:  TOSCANO: Crystal I, II, III, and IV: CAMAHORT: Alba Nova: ASENCIO: Suite Mistica 1) Getsemani 2) Dipso 3) Pentecostes: ALBENIZ: Suite Iberia; a) Almeria; b) El Albaicin: SMAILI: Il Faisait Encore Nuit.

La Buhardilla Records: LBR – 016.

All the tracks on this latest album by Spanish player/composer Toscano have a certain depth about them , no matter who the composer is.

Frederic Mompou’s track from his suite Musica Callada, is new to me. It is short, very atmospheric and a great start to the album. Then we get, spaced out throughout the album 4 pieces called Crystal by our performer. The longest of these is merely one minute long, and again they are all, odd but in a nice way. They seem to have no tempo but keep you attracted.

Maria Camahort is another new name to me. She is an exceedingly busy guitarist who has written here a fascinating piece called Alba Nova , full of unusual sounds and yet not at all atonal. Lovely work.

Vincente Asencio is a composer well known for his fine compositions. Here his three movements Suite Mistica proves again what a fine writer he was, all three pieces very evocative and full of superb harmonic sounds.

Then we get two pieces by Albeniz, a composer who never played guitar and yet whose works often sound so correct on the guitar, you would not notice that they were piano works. Here are two movements from his Suite Iberia which are not as well known as some of his other pieces, not that they are any less convincing , for they are by far the longest pieces on this album , and do sound wonderful.

Marco Smaili’s Il Faisait Encore Nuit is perhaps the most modern sounding piece on this album, played beautifully of course, but nevertheless not as immediate as most of the others here. Again though, Toscano’s technique is shown to be impeccable and wonderful to listen to.

So there you have it! A fine CD full of beautiful pieces finely recorded and seemingly effortlessly played. This is a CD worth getting your hands on!

Chris Dumigan