{"id":16043,"date":"2021-04-29T14:43:19","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T21:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=16043"},"modified":"2021-04-30T19:52:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T02:52:46","slug":"album-reviews-emma-rush-plays-19th-century-women-composers-an-eclectic-outing-from-andy-jurik","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/album-reviews-emma-rush-plays-19th-century-women-composers-an-eclectic-outing-from-andy-jurik\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Reviews: Emma Rush Celebrates 19th Century Women Composers; an Eclectic Outing from Andy Jurik"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY BLAIR JACKSON \/ EDITOR, CLASSICAL GUITAR<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma Rush
Wake the Sigh<\/em><\/strong>
(emma-rush.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When I interviewed Emma Rush <\/a>at the beginning of 2018 about her excellent Canadiana<\/em> album, she revealed that she was hoping to go to Germany in 2019 to pursue an album project on unheralded women composers and arrangers of the Romantic era. This new album is the fruit of her labors in that area, and it’s a wonderful achievement on every level. Actually “unheralded” could describe almost any<\/em> female composer of the 19th century: Rare indeed was the household that encouraged such activity from its girls and\/or women\u2014it was regarded as a man’s profession\u2014and society at large was skeptical and largely dismissive of women who pursued that creative avenue. So don’t be concerned if you haven’t heard of most (or any) of the composers on this album. The only names familiar to me were Emilia Giuliani-Guglielmi, who was the daughter of guitar pioneer Mauro Giuliani, and Madame Sidney Pratten\u2014works by both were featured on a fine 2017 album by James Akers called Le Donne e la Chitarra<\/a> (and Pratten was covered extensively in Brian Whithouse’s book on Dr. Walter Leckie and Francisco T\u00e1rrega<\/a>, which I read). Arrangements by Giuliani-Guglielmi of opera themes by Rossini and Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante serve as bookends for the collection, while Catharina Pratten is represented by a pair of appealing “Fairy Sketches” and piece called “Kelpie’s Dance,” which sounds a bit like the children’s folk song “Teddy Bear’s Picnic.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

British composer Susan Donnett has Two Original Polkas <\/em>(both delightful); Julie Fondard, a Parisian who was a student of Fernando Sor at some point, brings us a pair of elegant Swiss waltzes; and Spaniard Madame Delores de Go\u00f1i contributes six more short waltzes, each a little gem and nicely differentiated from one another. In between the two sets of waltzes is a stately and beautiful work derived from a French song about King Henry IV by the little-known French professor of guitar and arranger Julia Piston. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rush is certainly a virtuosic player, but not a “showy” one. She confidently negotiates every mood, tempo, and ornament, always serving the music first and foremost and thus shining the best light possible on these women. Throughout, she plays a replica of a 19th century Stauffer guitar crafted by Milodrag Zerdoner\u2014perfect for this repertoire. Highly recommended!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Variazoni sopra un tema del Mo. Mercadante<\/em> (Emilia Giuliani-Guglielmi); Andante and Allegretto <\/em>(Angiolina Panormo Huerta); Fairy Sketches: Queen Mab, Puck No. 2 <\/em>(Catharina Pratten); Kelpie’s Dance <\/em>(Pratten); Two Original Polkas<\/em> (Susan Domett); Deux Valses Suisses <\/em>(Julie Fondard); Air Vari\u00e9 de Vive Henry IX<\/em> (Julia Piston); Six Waltzes<\/em> ((Madame Delores de Go\u00f1i); Variazioni sopra il tema “Non pi\u00f9 mesta accanto al foco”<\/em>(Giuliani-Guglielmi)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wake the Sigh can be streamed and\/or purchased through Bandcamp<\/a>, Amazon<\/a>, and Apple Music<\/a>, and streamed on Spotify<\/a> and YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n