Shadow Lands

“CIUDAD DE LOS ENCANTOS” 1 Allegro animato 2 Lento ma non troppo 3 Allegro vivace 4 SHADOWLANDS 5 SHADES OF AUTUMN 6 THE RAPIDS 7 WATERS EDGE TWO PIECES FROM THE SUITE “POEMA DEL CANTE JONDO” 8 El grito 9 En el huerta de la petenera 10 WINGS ABOVE THE SEA 11 VOICE FROM THE PAST “THREE SCENES FROM BRAZIL” 12 Mariana 13 Seres Minha, Para Sempre 14 Apreciando o Carnaval 15 FANTASIA NUMBER 5 16 THE CHALICE (Fantasia number 8) 17 Una Caminhada no Parque (from 2 CHÔROS) 18 THE SOUND OF ARISAIG 19 BIRD OF PARADISE It takes very real skill to write as good and convincingly as Nick Fletcher does on this album. He composes credible contemporary material in a variety of idioms including music with the flavours of Spain, South American/Latin, Baroque and Celtic. Seven, from this programme of nineteen pieces, are included on his recent DVD (reviewed separately) in which he talks at length about his music and the compositions themselves. From the superb opening three-movement tribute to the city of Ronda, Spain, Ciudad de Los Encantos, (where one would be forgiven for thinking that here is a lost work of Torroba). one just knows that here is a magnificent technician weaving his magic around the fingerboard in a piece crammed full of Spanish atmosphere with lovely changes of tempo, beautiful melodies and rhythms. The rather 'edgy' waltz Shadowlands, with its occasional Koshkin-esque shades of melodic direction provides a brilliant contrast to the opening suite and is well worthy of the title track. More contrast comes with the following Shades of Autumn, a highly charged emotional work of sad lyricism and possibly the most beautiful composition in the programme. More gems follow, in fact there is not track in this recording which couldn't stand on its own merit; everything is top quality in both quality of the compositions and the superb performances Fletcher puts into his music. If required he has the most gentlest of touches, at other times his secure lightning fast technique enables him to play the most exacting and exhilarating music at an extremely high rate of knots. The recording quality (done in the performer's home town of Sheffield, South Yorkshire) is excellent. So there we have it: a virtuosic guitarist, playing his own works which just happen to be outstanding compositions, all beautifully recorded. What more is there to say? Highly recommended.

Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)