Record Reviews

GARY GUTHMAN ~ HARP CONCERTO / TRUMPET CONCERTO / MARGARITA DUX 1873 (Barcode: 5902547018737) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is a great love story worth of a movie: “An American In Warsaw”. My Friend and buddy, American Jazz trumpeter / composer Gary GuthmanFind albums by this artist meets a beautiful Polish harpist Malgorzata ZalewskaFind albums by this artist (Gosia as we call her) and his heart is lost forever, resulting in his relocation to Warsaw and a process of building not only a new life but also a new career, mostly as a composer. This wonderful album documents some of his prolific output in the last years: a three-part harp concerto, which features Gosia as the soloist, a three-part trumpet concerto, which features Gary as the soloist, and finally a short piece for harp, trumpet and orchestra, which features the love birds together. They are accompanied by the Podlasie Opera & Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted my Miroslaw Jacek BlaszczykFind albums by this artist. The music is absolutely lovely, sort of Jazz-Classical Fusion, but sounding more like a superb cinematic scores, which might have been composed at the heyday of the Hollywood era, when music played a much more important role as part of the film industry, which is sadly not the case these days. Guthman the composer, is deeply soaked in the Jazz tradition, and his music swings at all times, as well as being full of wonderfully crafted melody lines, similar to the modus operandi of all great American composers of musicals and cinematic music. Of course Gosia and Gary are able to show their chops as excellent instrumentalists as well, each in his own capacity. Gosia brings her Classical Music expertise and Gary his Jazz Big Band spark, all in superbly elegant class and aesthetic aura. It’s great to have a husband, who can write music for you, says Gosia, but honestly this music is way more than a family affair and offers an uncompromising Artistic value. Overall, this is a truly splendid musical experience, full of beautiful melodic music, great instrumental work by the soloists and the orchestra, which is wonderfully amicable in this case, and a strong feeling of nostalgia, when this kind of music was at the helm. What can I do, I am after all a lost romantic… A pleasure to be your Friend, my Dears, and I am proud of you!

Updated: 10/03/2023Posted: 10/03/2023

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MALGORZATA ZALEWSKA ~ THE TRAVELER / TRIPTYCH & IMPROVISATION ORPHEE CLASSICS 221201 (Barcode: 5902205589197) ~ POLAND ~ Classical Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is an album by Polish harpist Malgorzata ZalewskaFind albums by this artist, on which she presents the chamber suite “The Traveler”, composed by her husband, the American (residing in Warsaw) composer Gary GuthmanFind albums by this artist, performed by a quartet comprising of soprano singer Kaja MianowanaFind albums by this artist, flautist Lukasz DlugoszFind albums by this artist, cellist Tomasz StrahlFind albums by this artist and Zalewska, and two compositions for solo harp by Polish composer Tadeusz PaciorkiewiczFind albums by this artist, also performed by her. “The Traveler” is based on a series of poems written by Guthman in 1992, which were incorporated into the thirteen-part suite for chamber quartet during the early months of the Covid pandemic in 2020. “Triptych” (1975) a three-part piece for solo harp and “Improvisation” (1951) a miniature for solo harp were composed by Paciorkiewicz, one of the very few contemporary Polish composers writing music for harp. The chamber suite is a series of wonderful “songs”, splendidly correlated and put together, which offers a wide range of stylistic influences, from Early Music, Celtic and American Folk, musicals and Classical Music. Guthman was blessed by a great talent to weave highly melodic themes, without compromising aesthetic values, which is clearly evident herein. The quartet is absolutely superb: Mianowana, whom I had the pleasure to hear live several times, has a beautiful voice and great theatrical presentation, Dlugosz is a truly irresistible piper of Hamlyn, Strahl knows exactly how to caress the right strings, and finally Zalewska, with her magic fingers, makes the harp to sing ever so sweetly. The solo harp pieces are obviously closer to contemporary Classical Music idiom, but Paciorkiewicz also loved a good melody and his dedication to the harp is quite evident here, which leaves Zalewska to interpret the music, which she of course does in her own elegant way and with a perfect touch. Overall, although the quartet and the solo harp pieces are quite different from each other, the album offers a beautiful, intimate atmosphere of divine melodic tranquility and soothing, heartwarming musical experience, which is accessible to a wide audience, not just Classical Music listeners, but every true music-loving listener out there. The album is certainly a balm for the ears in these traumatic times we all go through, an elegant, honest, highly aesthetic and Artistic heart to heart for everybody willing to listen. Thank you for the music, my Friends!

Updated: 12/03/2023Posted: 12/03/2023

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