SNOWDEN: Breton Fantasy on Ye Jacobites; LAWRENCE: The Lea Rig; Red Red Rose; Corn Rigs: ANTIPOV: Fantasia on a Theme by Robert Burns (Whare Hae Ye Been Sae Braw, Lad?): STEVENSON: The Deil’s Awa Wi’ The Exciseman & Ye Banks and Braes O’ Bonny Doon: MACHADO: Auld Lang Syne Samba: ANAD: John Anderson My Jo: LEINERI: The Betrayed Melody (After Robert Burns): VERSLUYS: Ae Fond Kiss.
Kerry Lynch (Flute/whistle), Jacopo Lazzaretti (Guitar)
Self – produced: JKL001CD
The flute and guitar duo, the JKL Duo have produced a CD here concerning Robert Burns and as a result asked a number of composers to write pieces using melodies and songs that Burns would have known but producing a new piece in their own various styles as a result. The results are fascinating, very diverse and all entirely new to the world of music, so this makes for a very interesting collection right from the outset.
So we find Laura Snowden’s Breton Fantasy on Ye Jacobites which starts slow and emotive, then gradually getting more energetic until it is frenetic and dance – like.
Stevie Lawrence has written 3 pieces of this album, the first The Lea Rig is a beautiful , warm melody with some gorgeous harmonies and lovely playing from both players
The work by Vasiliy Antipov begins as thinking of Burns as a writer who crossed two periods, the Baroque and the Classical, and therefore his Fantasia tries to show the listeners the different styles this produces. However successful that is, the piece has moments of modernism whilst retaining its warmth and frequently changing its sound – world.
Savourna Stevenson’s piece combines two very different tunes, the first utilizing different sounds for the different characters, in a very pictorial way, and the very famous second melody, harmonised in a new but still quite beautiful way to bring it up to date.
The second of Stevie Lawrence’s works is Red Red Rose, a very well – known melody here beautifully played by both players and with a lovely sound and one of the highlights of the CD.
Then a completely different take on Auld Lang Syne by Celso Machado in that he turns it into as very clever Samba, a style it fits superbly well.
Amit Anand’s John Anderson, My Jo gives the music an Indian flavour, in that he combines the melody of the original song with various Indian scales, rhythms, and ornaments and all against a backdrop of classical and jazz – coloured harmonies.
Francesco Leineri ‘s piece begins with a solo flute that jumps around in an almost flirty fashion combined with some modern but friendly harmony work on the guitar , and at almost 6 minutes in length is the longest work here.
Stevie Lawrence’s final work Corn Rigs begins on the solo flute, before gradually building to give the melody a dance –like aura, and yet again is another very pleasant work full of lovely ideas.
Roberto Kuhn Versluys takes Ae Fond Kiss’s sad and emotional melody and whilst beginning in a very traditional fashion, slowly moves it through a number of different rhythms and styles, in a very effective way, bringing this superb recital to a close in a very effective way.
The playing is exceptional, the recording faultless, and the music the two of them play is very varied, and consistently worth hearing, and so I can only recommend this CD as one to seriously consider getting, should you like the flute and guitar combination.
Chris Dumigan