Search - Miguel Chuaqui :: Music by Miguel Chuaqui

Engaging, exciting music

Thomas F. Dillingham | Columbia, Missouri USA | 06/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I confess that I had not heard of this composer, nor had I heard any of his music, until I acquired this CD. I am delighted to have it. Chuaqui's music is by turns intense, bright, rhythmically exciting, and lyrical. I am especially excited by the string quartet, Cuarteto Claroscuro, in which he finds surprising variations on relatively simple materials, but I also have really enjoyed the flute solo, "Ancient Wing," and the very lively "Hyperbole," a quintet for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. It is an excellent introduction to Chuaqui's soundworld. Indeed, all five pieces on this disk are engaging and worth repeated hearings. The technique offers the traditionalist a comfort zone while pleasing those who seek innovative strategies. The composer's own note disavows the term "exotic," and I would agree that there is no striving for exoticism, but the music nonetheless is fresh and not narrowly tied to any particular national or theoretical style. This is a welcome addition to my collection of contemporary music. [I was very interested to learn from the booklet that Chuaqui studied with an old friend of mine at Berkeley, Edwin Dugger, but I learned that only after I had listened to the music.]"