CD REVIEW: EDUARADO EGÜEZ PLAYS BACH

posted by James Reel

Here's a review of Bach lute recordings I've written especially for this blog, for a change.

BACH: Lute Music, Vol. 1 (BWV 995, 997, 998) and Vol. 2 (BWV 999, 1001, 1006a, 1007). Eduarado Egüez, lute. MA Recordings MO53A and MO54A.

Argentine lutenist Eduarado Egüez, currently based in Switzerland, is not very well known in the United States except through recordings he’s made as a member of various early music ensembles. This is a pity; he’s a marvelous musician, and nowhere is this more evident than in his two-disc survey of Johann Sebastian Bach’s lute music, released in 2000 and 2002 by a terrific little audiophile label called MA Recordings.

Egüez was a student of Hopkinson Smith, which may partly explain his sensitivity as a player. His tempos tend to be moderate (though they never drag), and this allows him to bring particular expressivity to the Bach suites. Just listen to the nice, light, rocking rhythm he brings to the Gigue that concludes BWV 995. He plays with finesse and spontaneity; his intentionally hesitant phrasing in the Loure of BWV 1006a makes the piece seem like a free fantasia, and while he is perfectly capable of crisp articulation (which comes naturally to the lute and leads to mechanical playing in the hands of less gifted performers), Egüez is also a master of legato line, which he can produce without romanticizing the music.

MA makes gorgeous recordings, and the bulk of its select catalog involves very artful world music, but whatever the genre, the sonics are about the best you’ll hear in the standard Redbook CD format. Here, the perspective is close in a resonant acoustic (an old monastery), providing a sonic image that is precise and full of presence, yet airy. The audio quality enhances the character of the scores and playing: meditatative, searching performances perfect for late-night listening.