What I Saw in the Water: 21st-Century Works for Guitar Duo in Bloomington, MN

Chamber guitar releases featuring contemporary music aren't so common these days, if they ever really were, but this one may make a bit of a splash.
ChromaDuo
are guitarists
Tracy Anne Smith
and
Rob MacDonald
, both Oberlin Conservatory graduates of Canadian origin. The title
What I Saw in the Water
comes from one of the
Seis pinturas de Frida Kahlo
("
Six Paintings of Frida Kahlo
") by
Simone Iannarelli
, the only work here that is not composed for the duo; all the pieces are receiving their premiere recordings. A sign of the esteem in which these young players are held is the presence of the legendary, octogenarian Cuban composer
Leo Brouwer
, whose
The Circle Game (After Margaret Atwood)
is beautifully recorded at Newmarket, Ontario's St. Paul's Anglican Church. Even the quietest passages have an absolute clarity that is a credit to both the players and the producer,
Norbert Kraft
. The music is varied, with some Latin accents but not exclusively that. Perhaps the best is left for last in the form of
Dyens en trois temps
(2021) of
Sergio Assad
, a tribute to the great Tunisian-French guitarist
Roland Dyens
. The piece evokes
Dyens
' varied stylistic interests over different phases of his career, ranging from Brazilian music to jazz to French popular song and more. The
Iannarelli
work has subtle flamenco accents that are extremely appealing, and there is a great collection of textures (hear the buzzing strings in the second movement, "Unos cuantos piquetitos"). It is a fitting capstone to an album that is never dull.
has released several albums on the
Naxos
label; may this be the one that brings them a breakthrough. ~ James Manheim