Elena Ortega : Luz Tras La Oscuridad : CD

ERENA: Carta a Lucina: BARRIOS MANGORE: Choro da Saudade:  DOMENICONI: Variations on an Anatolian Folksong: ASSAD: Dreams ; Remembrance: ASENCIO: Collectici Intim -  La Serenor ; Collectici Intim – LA Calma: MARTIN: Mirandote: ALBENIZ : Rumores de la Caleta; Sevilla: E. PUJOL: Guajira.

Elena Ortega

JSM Guitar Records : JSM 6040

Madrid born Elena Ortega is a well established player and this is her second album, the title of which translates as Light After Darkness, and refers to the fact that each of the tracks here goes through several emotions but the album starts with a solitude, or introspection that gradually becomes a calmness and eventually a joy by the end.

The opening Carta a Lucina ( Letter to Lucina)by Juan Erena  aptly reflects this .Written in 1970, this is a beautiful beginning and immediately you realise how wonderful a player the lady is , and also how clearly and brightly the guitar playing is captured.

The well – known Choro da Saudade by Agusitn Barrios Mangore is a lovely piece that she plays beautifully, and was dedicated to the son of a friend of Barrios who died tragically, and therefore the piece reflects the anguish felt throughout it.

The longest track on the album( nearly 10 minutes in length)  is Carlo Domeniconi’s Variations on an Anatolian Folksong , the song in question being the Turkish Folksong ‘Uzun Ince Bir Yoldayim’ which means ‘I am on a Long and Narrow Road’ and is dark and full of grim harmonies for much of the time and therefore is a very successful picture invoked by the title.

Sergio Assad’s  Dreams originally was composed for the Japanese film ‘ Natsu no Niwa : The friends’ and aptly conveys the feeling of sadness, tiredness, and misunderstanding ‘ that is portrayed in much of the film.

His other piece Remembrances is about our loved ones who are no longer around and is beautiful and sad and emotional all at the same time. A lovely work wonderfully played.

Two pieces from Vicente Asencio’s lovely suite of five movements Collectici Intim , (and only one of his many beautiful works I am extremely fond of!) , the first La Serenor, and the third La Calma are both beautifully performed and are superbly captured by our performer.

Eduardo Martin’s Mirandote is a lovely piece I haven’t come across before, and is dedicated to the composer’s son, and really does portray love and warmth, and is a fine piece of writing, and is wonderfully performed too.

Then we get two more well – known pieces by the great Isaac Albeniz, originally of course piano pieces but sounding superb in their guitar arrangements. Rumores dela Caleta , is named after an area in Malaga, whilst Sevilla is of course called after the place and also the Sevillanas they perform there.

The final work is by Emilio Pujol and is based on the Cuban rhythm, and is joyful and a superb close to this album, which is a joy from start to finish. There are some pieces you may know, but probably the greater majority will be new to many readers, and therefore i can say that you will definitely not be disappointed if you go looking for this fine album.

Chris Dumigan