Potrait of Arthur Rimbaud/Tierra in Bloomington, MN

Guitarist
Giancarlo Vulcano
presents eight of his instrumental compositions on
Ve Tro
, with some assistance from other musicians on piano, violin, and clarinet. Minimalism might be an overused word to describe this sort of music, but certainly it fits that billing in terms of the economy of its phrasing and the sparse arrangements. "Upbeat" might be a word that's not overused in reviews of such recordings, but certainly this is lighter and brighter in mood than many such works that share similar characteristics. There's also a playful whimsicality to much of the melodies, and the way in which they're interpreted, that fits easygoing reflective moods rather than making for heavy plowing. Though himself a guitarist,
Vulcano
also emphasizes different instruments according to the piece, going for impressionistic piano (played by
Yvonne Troxler
) on
"Portrait of Arthur Rimbaud"
and
"Piano Death Theme,"
and featuring
Enid Blount
's clarinet on
"Music for Fish Tanks,"
though the synthetic-sounding percussion of
"Self Portrait"
doesn't seem suitable for his style.
"Tierra Del Fuego,"
incidentally, is a score for a film of the same title by
Elizabeth Whitney Bedford
, while three of the other tracks were commissioned by
the Palais des Beaux-Arts
in Brussels for a 2004 exhibition of
Arthur Rimbaud
. ~ Richie Unterberger