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Feliu Gasull
Pit roig

Segell Microscopi
Review by Tyran Grillo

Spanish composer Feliu Gasull, who normally writes for larger forces, offers this album of (mostly) solo guitar music. Coaxing a rich palette from his instrument, Gasull gives voice to an alluring range of textures, technical flourishes, and tunings.

The title track sets the mood for his five-part La Finestra, shuffling through scenes as a camera might cut from one apartment window to another: different lives, same building. A lithe yet grounded quality to his writing, rendered with a sensibility that embraces the value of past and present, ensures that quiet reflections hold their own against evocations of pure exuberance.

This is followed by three preludes, the surreal touches of which attest to Gasull’s ear for detail, his respect for the mundane recalling the insightful impressions of Federico Mompou. Further minutiae abound in Puig-Rom, a quartet for guitars multitracked by the composer. Drawing on flamenco’s combination of voice, breath, and extended techniques, he paints a vivid picture of life itself.

A smattering of solo pieces rounds out the program, including highlights like "Sarabanda," played on the requinto (a slightly twangier cousin of the guitar), and a gorgeous take on the popular Catalana, “El Cant dels Ocells.” There is also the 10-minute "Capvespre," a dramatic and theatrical piece that nevertheless glows with subtlety, before closing with the original “Que brillis com brilles,” sung by Carme Canela, signing a unique self-portrait of an artist who extracts the essences of his musical loves into a striking and novel scheme.

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