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Lily Afshar Possession Archer Records Guitar Review October 2003 Reviewed by Stephen Griesgraber The latest recording from Lily Afshar, Possession, offers an uncommonly provocative program balancing perennial favorites such as Waltz, Op. 8, No. 3 by Barrios and Rodrigo's Invocation and Dance with contemporary gems from Bogdanovic and Brouwer. Most compelling, however, are three premiers: Scherzo, Op. 47 by Salvador Brotons, Broken Slurs by Barbara Kolb, and MKG Variations by Kamran Ince. Written in 1989, Scherzo, Op. 47 is a virtuosic work in ABA form. It exhibits harmonic sophistication and driving rhythmic energy while remaining idiomatic to the instrument. With its taut construction - just over five minutes - the piece is appropriate for a variety of programs. Its maturity makes it worthy of regular presentation. Leo Brouwer and Dusan Bogdanovic are inarguably two of the most important classical guitar composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Perhaps more so than any other composers of our time, Bogdanovic and Brouwer explore and expand their unique voices. Ms. Afshar's performance of the extraordinary Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue for the Golden Flower is especially powerful. She plays with a nuanced power that is as at once exhilarating and refined. Barbara Kolb's Three Lullabies were written for David Starobin and dedicated to Kolb's godson, Robert Starobin. The third lullaby includes a humming part, which on Starobin's recording is performed by baritone Patrick Mason. On Possession, Ms. Afshar performs the humming part herself, lending the performance a unique intimacy. It is always exciting to see a new piece for guitar by a reputable composer such as Barbara Kolb. Broken Slurs is a three-minute work that begins with a simple melodic introduction before spiraling into intense strains of compound counterpoint. As always, the strength and precision of Afshar's playing illuminate. Originally scored for piano, Agua e Vinho by Egberto Gismonti was recorded in a guitar arrangement on Sharon Isbin's 2000 Grammy Award winning compact disc, Dreams of a World. On Possession, Lily Afshar brings an understated sweetness to the richly melancholic romantic miniature. This piece is sure to become a repertoire standard. The world premier of MKG Variations by Kamran Ince closes the recording. The piece is nine minutes in length and exhibits a dark and evocative, if not always adventurous, modal language. Afshar's performance is stunning; bringing the music to life with captivating emotional breadth. "Lily Afshar plays beautifully on this vibrant and adventurous recording." –American Record Guide, 2002 "Lily Afshar is a guitarist of the highest order." –Classical Guitar Magazine, 2002 "Unique...Exciting." –The San Francisco Examiner, 2002 "One of the world's foremost classical guitarists." –Public Radio International, The World, 2002 "Her most impressive play yet... a guitarist who has arrived... a joyride of a record..." Bill Ellis, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis |
