Chris Dumigan - Classical Guitar Magazine

May 2008 - Volume 26, No. 9 - pages 46-47

WAPANGO - Santa Fe Guitar Quartet

This attractive, cardboard fold-out sleeve houses three large-scale Latin-American compositions.

Paquito D'Rivera born in either 1937, or 1948, depending on which part of the sleeve you are looking at (oops!) was born in Cuba and has received many awards including six Grammys for his writing and has recorded over 30 albums of material taking in many different styles including jazz, bebop, latin and classical. His three-movement work played here begins with the CD's title track, based on the Mexican Huapango and is racy, warm and friendly with plenty of invigorating harmonies and memorable lines. The middle movement that is Danzon is slower and for the most part more reflective. It is based on a Cuban dance again, that evolved from the 'contradanza' at the end of the 19th century. The rhythm of the 'clave' is most important here and is the backbone of much of this piece. The final Vals Venezolano is a tribute to the father of this music, Antonio Lauro and is fast and full of syncopated rhythms and ends, as it began, with joyous harmonies and exciting melodies that keep you interested throughout. A nice set nicely played.

Marcelo Coronel was born in Buenos Aires in 1962 and spends much of his time writing music that enhances and preserves the folk traditions of his nation. His work is again in three movements beginning with Germinacion, which is a Chaya, a style of music from the province of La Rioja, and is similar to the Cueca. Here the six-string contrabass guitar really comes into its own with some lovely deep passagework underpinning a gently flowing piece that has a certain lilt to it that is very evocative. The players' lines here consist of some beautiful interweaving harmonies running parallel to each other. Again a lovely melody rides on top. Como Un Camino Largo, a Zamba follows. It has a slightly enigmatic introduction before the actual Zamba rhythm takes over. This one is slow and nostalgic with more fabulous harmony work and playing that is never less than utterly stunning. A La Fuerza is a Gato, and employs much use of the crossover rhythms of 3/4 and 6/8 for its effect. Again this work is a wonderful example of Latin music at its very best, and another real find.

The final Piazzolla work has been played before but is certainly not as overplayed, as some of his music is now tending to be. It was originally written for his Quintet, consisting of violin, bandoneon, electric guitar, piano and contrabass. Verano Porteño begins with the hallmark Piazzolla walking bass line he tended to overuse but quickly changes into a slow reflective passage of with sad lines and emotive harmony work. The speed then starts to pick up again with the players almost seeming to improvise for a moment before the main rhythm takes command again. Then percussive beats on the guitars lead to a forceful reprise of the main melody, an extended coda that stops in mid-air in an unexpected place. Otoño Porteño starts almost identical in speed and mood to the previous movement. It again swiftly comes to a stop and a slow reflective passage holds sway momentarily until the first idea returns. Again the walking bass line that rises and falls a minor third is hardly ever absent. The slow portion surprisingly returns again for more of the same but more hastily returns to a new variation of the fast section that eventually leads back to the first idea in its original form. Again a heavily percussive idea leads to a definite close on an expected cadence. Invierno Porteño is more obtuse harmonically and has hardly begun before it comes almost to a stop. The slow - fast alternation occurs throughout this movement also with the slow sections really letting the individual players shine in their separate solos, and the faster portions showing just how together this quartet really are in music of such complexity. The ending pays homage to the harmonies and music styles of baroque, and in particular Vivaldi. The finale that is Primavera Porteña returns to the fast and furious style of many of Piazzolla's opening ideas. Here the harmonies are a little more astringent, more pungent and take one a little by surprise, as does the eventual fugue-like section that is enclosed here. Then after a long low note from the contrabass, the guitars thump percussively and the work comes to a satisfying conclusion over a long set of tonic chords. At a little over 23 minutes this is a major Piazzolla work that really deserves to be heard more often, especially when the playing is as marvellous as here.

This is a recording full of great melodies, lots of exciting harmonies and playing that belies the difficulties that must be in this music. The quartet sounds as if they are joined at the hip, and deserve a great deal of success with this fine recording. Wonderful!