{"id":2904,"date":"2015-10-26T12:23:55","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T19:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=2904"},"modified":"2015-10-26T12:23:55","modified_gmt":"2015-10-26T19:23:55","slug":"a-mix-of-bach-and-contemporary-works-on-david-leisners-facts-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/a-mix-of-bach-and-contemporary-works-on-david-leisners-facts-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mix of Bach and Contemporary Works on David Leisner’s ‘Facts of Life’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ACD_71298_leisner_Facts_800-500x500[1]\"<\/a>Facts of Life<\/strong>
\nDavid Leisner
\n<\/em>(Azica)<\/p>\n

Bach and modern premieres shine in fine \u201csubstantial\u201d release <\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a significant and substantial release, in which J.S. Bach\u2019s Lute Suite BWV 997<\/em> is sandwiched between contemporary works by David Del Tredici and Osvaldo Golijov. Both are premiere recordings, one a Leisner commission, the other written specifically for him. In the five-movement title track, Del Tredici explores a wide range of textures, the contrapuntal lines in \u201cFugue\u201d and \u201cMy Fetish\u201d being referred to by Leisner as possibly inspired by the magnificent da capo fugue in the Bach. Only in the movement shown as \u201cFlamenco Forever\u201d in the track listing (but \u201cFandango Forever\u201d in the notes) does the composer perhaps outstay his welcome\u2014the anguished vocalizations that herald the final cadence confirming that it’s time to move on.<\/p>\n

The valedictory \u201cFish Tale\u201d by Osvaldo Golijov, for which Leisner is joined by Tara Helen O\u2019Connor (flute), emerges as a true hit. Pleasingly described by its creator as a \u201cwatercolor,\u201d Golijov\u2019s work generates some ten minutes of shimmering aquatic imagery for which this combination of instruments is ideally suited.<\/p>\n

\u2014Paul Fowles<\/em><\/p>\n