Kazu Suwa Guitar Recital

Description:

A collection of 22 tracks of Spanish and South American music, consisting of some of the most well-known guitar pieces by Tárrega, Barrios and Villa-Lobos as well as hidden masterpieces that are hardly recorded and/or performed by others, including Ayala, Fleury, Garoto, and one of Kazu's unusual guitar transcriptions and recordings of piano works by Spanish/Catalan composer Frederic (Federico) Mompou.

This debut CD album 'Guitar Recital' received 'Semi-Highest Honour' in the Japanese classical music magazine Record Geijutsu (Art of Records) in April 2015.

Note: This CD album includes a finely detailed 36-page booklet written by a leading music critic Mr Robert Matthew-Walker in English and translated into Spanish and Japanese by Kazu Suwa.

Reviews:

“The programme opens with 6 works by Tárrega. By listening to these alone, it's clear that Kazu Suwa is a guitarist of extraordinary talent in the area of lyrical and poetic expression. His playing style exhibits ‘melancholic expression appropriated for the guitar’ without any inhibition, striking a responsive chord in the hearts of the audience. On the other side, more conservative listeners can safely be in love with such a world since the evidence of solid performance techniques is surely honoured. After works by Tárrega, he moves to South America. Pieces by Fleury, Ayala, Barrios, Reis and Vila-Lobos are played with similarly rich lyricism. 'Adeux' by Sor and Canciones y Danzas by Mompou in the latter part of the disc are also excellent”

Jiro Hamada (Record Geijutsu Magazine, April 2015, Japan)

“The playing is really delicate – I can sense his making a sincere effort to weave only beautiful notes. I also feel his passion for exploring hidden masterpieces that others are not interested in. For instance, from Ayala whose only known work is 'Serie Americana' he takes up the unusual 'Arco Iris (Rainbow)' which is of singular beauty, and from Reis whose only known piece is 'If she asks' he gives us 'Eterna Saudade'. Loyal fans will be delighted with the milonga works by Fleury which are clad in a sentimental light. The music of Mompou – which it’s said Kazu Suwa likes to explore – also makes my ears prick up. (…) Even though this guitarist’s prowess is not yet widely known, this CD ensures he will remain in people's memory as a very talented artist”

Mitsuhiko Hamada (Record Geijutsu Magazine, April 2015, Japan)

“The warm sound character was faithfully captured and it is as unique as it is irresistible which goes beyond other recordings”

Tadashi Yamanouchi (Recording Sound Review – Record Geijutsu Magazine, April 2015, Japan)

“Kazu Suwa is the most outstanding new guitarist I have heard in recent years. He is already a superlative artist”

James Palmer, Musical Opinion (UK)

“A musician in the broadest sense of the word. Mr Kazu Suwa's truly faithful arrangements, precision in interpretation and his tone quality indicate to us that the guitar is a perfect instrument to extract the musical essence of each piece by Mompou”

Frederic Mompou Foundation (Barcelona)

“Handled with sincerity, translating the emotion into sound with integrity”

Gendai Guitar Magazine (Japan)

“What a lovely album. (…) The thing that strikes one from the outset of the program is not just Kazu's artistic abilities, his virtuosic talents, but his sensitivity. That is, Suwa's playing is passionate not just in the bigger, more-dramatic moments but in the softer passages as well. (…) In all, Kazu Suwa provides a pleasantly relaxing array of guitar tunes, masterfully crafted and expertly performed. As I say, subtlety, nuance, and delicacy are the order of the day in an album of beauty and emotion”

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John J. Puccio, Classical Candor (USA)

“This is a fantastic recording that deserves to be heard by as many guitar aficionados as possible, and much wider. Some sensitive, tasteful and well-informed playing of well-known favourites, wonderful arrangements and interpretations of lesser known works, paired up with just downright gorgeous playing. This is a truly beautiful recording”

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Nicole Rogers, CLASSICAL GUITAR N STUFF (Australia)

“The fine London-based guitarist Kazu Suwa knows that Villa’s guitar pieces are character pieces (…) He’s picked three Villa-Lobos pieces with great character, and more importantly he plays each of them in a character-ful way. (…) The sound of the disc is excellent, and the production values are very high. There’s an excellent, insightful 11-page essay about the music written by Robert Matthew-Walker. This disc is highly recommended”

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Dean Frey, The Villa-Lobos Magazine (Canada)

“This disc showcases Suwa's fine technique and lovely ear for the colours available in the instrument”

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Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill (UK)

“There is no doubt that Kazu Suwa has a superb technique but it is consistently at the service of the music, imbuing his readings with much poetic vision. (…) I was struck that Kazu Suwa has a good knowledge of classic performances, and that he clearly follows this tradition and avoids maverick renditions. Nonetheless, the interpretations have much individuality and the choice of tempi always seemed right and suited the guitarist’s poetic outlook on the music”

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Ray Picot, The Iberian and Latin American Music Society (UK)