Possession!
rick tinling | Portland, Oregon | 02/21/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ms. Lily Afshar's new CD titled "Possession" is a wonderful mix of the
classical guitar repetoire as it stands today. It has a few well known
pieces (e.g. Afro-Cuban Lullaby -Brouwer, Invocation and Dance-Rodrigo),
some lesser played works by well-known composers and pieces explicity
written for Afshar. In the liner notes Lily says it is meant to capture
a snapshot of a single instant of the guitar repetoire. It's a great CD.
She chose 8 different composers (including Barrios who although not
modern, is finally getting play time). She plays three different pieces
by Brouwer including a beautiful, melancholy rendition of "Un Dia De
Noviembre".Afshar's playing reflects the CD title. She plays both as if she owns
the pieces and is owned by them. For the pieces that are familiar, she
plays them like no one else! Her playing is articulate and every phrase
beautifully crafted. It has all the positive qualities of live
performance. The playing is so heartfelt that you can almost feel her
breathing.There is lot's of new music on this CD too that on first listening
sounded interesting, and on second and third listenings sounds
fascinating. The piece "Omar's Fancy" by Bogdanovic instantly brings to
mind Persia. It "feels" Persian even without the title. The composers
that have written new music for her (Brotons, Bogdanovic, Kolb and Ince)
have done a fantastic job, and it's great to see and hear the repetoire
expanding!Rick Tinling
Oregon"
American Record Guide, 2002
rick tinling | 07/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Lily Afshar - a former writer for this magazine - plays beautifully on this vibrant and adventurous recording made up mostly of contemporary works. Her tone is sonorous, her technique solid, and each of her interpretations of these widely varying works is richly characterized. The recording quality is superb - I have heard quite a few recordings recently with a disturbing hiss. The sound on this one is pristine, projecting all of the details of Afshar's playing without distracting background noise.
I will not attempt to comment on all of these pieces, but I will discuss the less familiar ones. Four were written for Afshar: Salvador Broton's Scherzo, Dusan Bogdanovic's Omar's Fancy, Barbara Kolb's Broken Slurs, and Kamran Ince's MKG Variations. Broton's Scherzo is a dynamic opener for the program, full of fantasy, jagged lines, and ingenious guitar writing. Omar's Fancy is typical of much of Bogdanovic's music, with its ambient stasis and harmonies reminiscent of Eastern Europe. Also on the program is his more substantial Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue for the Golden Flower, a work that explores the same exotic sound world at greater length and with more technical extroversion.
Barbara Kolb's 3 Lullabies have always been among my favorite pieces for the guitar from the latter part of the last century (they were written for David Starobin in 1980). Her music is sophisticated and enchanting, and the humming in the third lullaby is always wonderfully haunting. The humming part is usually performed by a make voice, but Afshar dies it herself here, using an eerily distant, flat tone. Kolb's Broken Slurs, the piece dedicated to Afshar, follows the third lullaby without pause, its two very brief parts seeming to function as a continuation of the earlier work. Kamren Ince's MKG Variations, the final work is dedicated to this guitarist, derives much of its effect from stark contrasts; atmospheric hovering is interrupted by angular outbursts, spare textures giving way to full-voiced harmonies.
The effect of the entire program is very satisfying. Afshar has clearly thought carefully about the order of the pieces to make the most effective sequence of moods and contrasts. This is a fine release from an accomplished performer."Rings"
Dr. Afshar, a master!
rick tinling | 12/29/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Lily Afshar already has two wonderful cd's out: One is made completely of a work by Castelnuevo Tedesco, and the other has the big classical guitar hits such as "Asturias" "Koyunbaba" and many more. The difference between her latest album and the previous two is that it is made mostly of brand new premieres and contemporary works. The Scherzo, Omar's Fancy, Broken Slurs were written for Dr. Afshar. The Scherzo, Slurs, and MKG Variations are all world premieres. While having brand new, never-before heard literature on this album, the great thing about it is that it still has great classics by Joaquin Rodrigo, Barrios and Brouwer. The Afro-Cuban Lullaby, by Brouwer, has an unusual, but wonderful addition, a beautiful virtuosic scale. This album truly is a wonderful collection of music which should be present in every person's collection."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
