China West – Music for three guitars by Bach, Piazzolla, Assad, Torroba, Chen Yi & Charlie Chaplin

This album, featuring Cuban-American guitar legend Manuel Barrueco and the astounding Beijing Guitar Duo, celebrates the artistic collaboration of these musicians and their diverse cultural traditions. The selections, ranging from the baroque to the twenty-first century, demonstrate the guitar’s unique ability to capture the many voices and moods of China and the Western World in a stunning showcase of artistry and virtuosity.

J.S. Bach’s Sonata #6 in G, BWV 1019, is the last of six violin and cembalo sonatas, most likely originally written during Bach’s period as Kapellmeister at Cöthen for Prince Leopold to perform, but alternate versions of some movements exist, probably revised years later for his own performance of the suites in Leipzig. One particular feature of these sonatas is that the two instruments are treated as equals, and Bach often includes a solo movement for violin or harpsichord. Barrueco’s transcription for three guitars illustrates the elevated musical magnificence of this work. The opening Allegro is brilliant and exuberant, followed by the sorrowful Largo. Much in the tradition of Bach, Barrueco adds the exquisite Prelude from the violin sonata, BWV 1023, here for solo guitar, as an introduction to the pensive third movement, Allegro, originally for harpsichord alone and arranged here for guitar duo. Next is the melancholy Adagio in which the three parts are interwoven in the manner of a three-part invention. The final movement is a vivacious and fluid Allegro based on a theme from the cantata Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten, BWV 202.

Federico Moreno Torroba was famous in Spain for his zarzuelas, but achieved international renown through Segovia’s performances of his compositions for guitar. His compositional style is often described as ‘castizo’, signifying a blend of Iberian folk elements combined with conventional forms and impressionistic language, often portraying specific places, dances or moods. Written in 1979, Estampas is a set of eight charming miniatures depicting scenes of Spanish life. Bailando un fandango charro refers to the fandango, a festive country dance. Remanso illustrates a peaceful pool of water. La siega is a nostalgic harvest song that quotes a traditional folk tune, as does Fiesta en el pueblo, or festival in the village. Amanecer depicts an ethereal daybreak, and La boda is a joyful wedding celebration. Camino del Molino is a weary march down the mill road, and the final Juegos infantiles is a portrait of energetic and lively children’s games.

Astor Piazzolla, described as “the modern master of tango music”, developed the tango into a more profoundly expressive form, “for the ear as well as for the feet”, incorporating European traditions, as well as jazz and popular elements into the traditional tango. His Fuga y Misterio is an excerpt from his operita María de Buenos Aires, an invigorating four-voice tango fugue with an evocative coda. Revirado has energetic and sparkling outer sections surrounding a romantic and yearning middle section.

Chen Yi was already an accomplished musician at the age of thirteen when the Cultural Revolution in China began; separated from her family and sent to become a laborer, she later became one of 200 out of 18,000 applicants to be accepted into the Central Conservatory when it reopened in 1977. She completed her studies in the United States, where she now resides. Her works exemplify the artistic synthesis of Chinese and Western music which Chen likens to “thinking in Chinese, but writing in a western idiom”: Western modernist techniques, large-scale forms, and vibrant harmonies alongside melodic contours, inflections, and phrasing strongly influenced by Chinese traditions. Originally written for wind ensemble, China West Suite was transcribed for guitar trio by Manuel Barrueco with Chen’s blessing. In four movements, this spectacular work was inspired by the folk songs of several Chinese ethnic groups: the Gadameilin and Pastoral songs of the Meng People (Mongolia); Ashima of the Yi People; Du Mu and Amaliehuo of the Zang People (Tibet), and Dou Duo and the Lusheng ensemble music of the Miao People.

Brazilian guitarist and composer Sérgio Assad wrote The Enchanted Island for Manuel Barrueco and the Beijing Guitar Duo, and was inspired by Havana’s Barrio Chino (Chinatown), one of the oldest and largest communities of Asians in Latin America. The work uses Asian hemitonic and anhemitonic pentatonic scales alongside Afro-Cuban rhythms and ends with a hypnotically powerful rhythmic pattern signifying a Santeria ritual.

As a teenager, the great comedic actor Charlie Chaplin aspired to be a professional musician, practicing his violin for hours each day. Although he eventually gave up that dream, he had remarkable musical instincts and remained intensely involved in the music that accompanied his films. A perfectionist, he worked with professional arrangers to fill out his musical ideas. His intention, in his own words, was “to compose elegant and romantic music to frame my comedies in contrast to the tramp character, for elegant music gave my comedies an emotional dimension. I wanted the music to be a counterpoint of grave and charm.” Chaplin Medley, arranged by Sérgio Assad, includes selections from ‘A Dog’s Life’, ‘Modern Times’, ‘Limelight’ and ‘A Countess from Hong Kong’.