A Colorful Collection Music for guitar played by David Isaacs - reviewed by ANNA L FRANCO '... expressive performance ...'

Guitarist David Isaacs performs works by Augustín Barrios Mangoré, Alexander Tansman, J S Bach, and Manuel Maria Ponce in his CD Structures (Eroica 2006). His accompanying liner notes relate the historical background of these composers and their pieces.

La Catedral by Augustín Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944) has three movements. Preludio 'Saudade' is a poignant introduction which contrasts a delicate melody with steady arpeggios. Isaacs tells the readers in his liner notes how the second movement, Andante Religioso, was inspired by a performance of J S Bach at a cathedral, while the third movement, Andante Solemne, expresses the daily activity the composer encountered in the streets after the performance [listen -- track 3, 0:56-1:23].

Cavatina (1950) by Alexander Tansman is a five-movement suite. Prelude opens with a strong rhythmic statement laden with arpeggios that eventually dissolve into a beautiful melody with recurrances of a rhythmic motif. Sarabande, named after a Baroque dance movement is a slower, more deliberate expression [listen -- track 5, 2:06-2:34]. Scherzino rushes forth with an unrelenting pace, alternating betweeen a light-hearted sing-song melody and a more intense thematic development. Barcarolle opens almost mysteriously, with a dark, exotic elegance and boat-song rhythm that drives the melody forward into a lighter middle development. The original material returns in the last part of this movement until its most final expressive notes. Cavatina ends with the lively Danza Pomposa.

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