Lennon and McCartney
together must be one of, if not the greatest contributors of composition
to popular music. Along with the Beatles producer George Martin they
influenced not one but possibly every generation of music makers since
their emergence in the early '60s.
Leo Brouwer, the Cuban guitarist/composer whose broad musical views take in so many aspects of music, recognised Lennon and McCartney early on, and included arrangements of their music in his concerts, (at least one of which " Fool on the Hill" was recorded by John Williams [MK 45538]). So this collection of personalities, together with the featured Göran Söllscher, one of Sweden's premier guitarists makes for a formidable collaboration of musical talents.
Basically the disc is divided into four distinct sections, the opening tracks finds Söllscher playing five arrangements for solo guitar. These, for the most part, are successful, the lyricism of the slower pieces working well, especially "In My Life" where the harpsichord solo of the original is faithfully retained, only "Can't Buy me Love" fails to engage, possibly because the tempo chosen for the piece requires a certain swing that Sollscher just doesn't make sound convincing.
The next three selections are probably the most unusual due to the pairing of guitar and bandoneon, a type of concertina. In the hands of Per Arne Glorvigen the bandoneon displays a variety of expressive moods: from the strident, as in "Come Together" to the gentle "I Want To Hold Your Hand" where the players elect to transform the Beatles original almost demanding delivery of the title words into a tender loving request. Good stuff.
The inclusion of George Martin's composition "Three American Sketches" makes for a nice interlude in the proceedings. Not so well known for his composing as for his producing skills this piece does show Martin's understanding of a style that is very much in the tradition of 20th century American music, such as Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland.
The subtitle '7 Songs After the Beatles' is so appropriate to the collection of arrangements by Leo Brouwer as there is as much of Brouwer here as Lennon and McCartney. Certainly the tunes are the product of the Liverpool songsmiths but Brouwer's orchestral textures mark them with his own strong individual character. Never afraid to occasionally allow the orchestra to take the melody, the guitar's accompanying role always reinforces the proceedings. An orchestral episode in "Ticket To Ride" is very much as we heard in his "Concerto de Toronto" and the use of cannon at the beginning of "Eleanor Rigby" is a delight
All in all, a very well produced, entertaining recording, however I do feel that novelty is an over-riding factor with this type of disc. It is after all only one in a long line of records where the music of Lennon and McCartney has been given one sort of treatment or another. I don't know which sector of the music-buying public this disc likely to appeal to. However I do wish it well. (Andy Daly, MusicWeb International)
Leo Brouwer, the Cuban guitarist/composer whose broad musical views take in so many aspects of music, recognised Lennon and McCartney early on, and included arrangements of their music in his concerts, (at least one of which " Fool on the Hill" was recorded by John Williams [MK 45538]). So this collection of personalities, together with the featured Göran Söllscher, one of Sweden's premier guitarists makes for a formidable collaboration of musical talents.
Basically the disc is divided into four distinct sections, the opening tracks finds Söllscher playing five arrangements for solo guitar. These, for the most part, are successful, the lyricism of the slower pieces working well, especially "In My Life" where the harpsichord solo of the original is faithfully retained, only "Can't Buy me Love" fails to engage, possibly because the tempo chosen for the piece requires a certain swing that Sollscher just doesn't make sound convincing.
The next three selections are probably the most unusual due to the pairing of guitar and bandoneon, a type of concertina. In the hands of Per Arne Glorvigen the bandoneon displays a variety of expressive moods: from the strident, as in "Come Together" to the gentle "I Want To Hold Your Hand" where the players elect to transform the Beatles original almost demanding delivery of the title words into a tender loving request. Good stuff.
The inclusion of George Martin's composition "Three American Sketches" makes for a nice interlude in the proceedings. Not so well known for his composing as for his producing skills this piece does show Martin's understanding of a style that is very much in the tradition of 20th century American music, such as Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland.
The subtitle '7 Songs After the Beatles' is so appropriate to the collection of arrangements by Leo Brouwer as there is as much of Brouwer here as Lennon and McCartney. Certainly the tunes are the product of the Liverpool songsmiths but Brouwer's orchestral textures mark them with his own strong individual character. Never afraid to occasionally allow the orchestra to take the melody, the guitar's accompanying role always reinforces the proceedings. An orchestral episode in "Ticket To Ride" is very much as we heard in his "Concerto de Toronto" and the use of cannon at the beginning of "Eleanor Rigby" is a delight
All in all, a very well produced, entertaining recording, however I do feel that novelty is an over-riding factor with this type of disc. It is after all only one in a long line of records where the music of Lennon and McCartney has been given one sort of treatment or another. I don't know which sector of the music-buying public this disc likely to appeal to. However I do wish it well. (Andy Daly, MusicWeb International)
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