Review of Pinpoints by Gantriis-Zimmerman Guitar Duo, Albany Records, 2017
Kristian Gantriis and Volkmar Zimmermann are members of the excellent and the internationally acclaimed Corona Guitar Kvartet (Copenhagen, Denmark) from many years, in this record these two classical guitar players have decide to collaborate togheter creating a duo. This record, Pinpoints, is the result of their collaboration and of an “enticingly eclectic collection of brief pieces from around the world”, as it’s written in booklet that accompain the cd.
This record starts with “Teyatá”, composed by Canadian composer Stephen Wingfield, it’s an almost hypnotic piece, composed in a minimalist harmonic style that remembers Steve Reich, I immediately loved this passage for its great variety of textures and simple thematic gestures, that helps the listener to start a nice musical journey, where the guitars play togheter around us.
I think this is a complex album, where contemporay and popular music are elegantly mixed togheter: we can listen to several tangos by Angel Villoldo, Virgilio and Homero Exposito, Anibal Troilo, Homero Manzi and Astor Piazzolla, all arranged by composer/guitarist Pepe Ferrer. But we can listen to several beautiful traditional Danish songs, from the late 19th Century Højskolesangbogen collection, arranged by Svend Hedegaard, and we can listen to Spanish dance, all written originally for piano by Federico Mompou and arranged by the same Kristian Gantriis.
The record finishes with another piece of new music: Nocturnal Procession, by Danish composer John Frandsen. Nocturnal Procession shows several harmonic, celebratory parades, funeral processions, and “even the processions of private thoughts of someone reflecting on loss”. It’s a very intimate piece that closes the cd, leaving a sort of quiet suspension in the air…
This is a really nice record, the music are new, but they are not difficoult, the guitar players are simply great, they mix their guitars together and it’s really difficult to understand who is playing and what… really excellent!
