Danish guitarist Thomas
Lyng Poulsen www.klassisk-guitar.dk
is a versatile musician who feels at
home in many genres. He has appeared on several albums ranging from
contemporary music to tango and pop. He has also been featured on national
radio and has participated in a Swedish TV film about the guitar.
Thomas Lyng Poulsen graduated from the Music Academy of Jesper
Sivebæk and Jan-Inge Wijk and has participated in numerous master classes with
the world's leading guitarists. He is a laureate of international guitar
competitions and made his debut with Berio's monumental Sequenza XI for solo
guitar. He is active as a chamber musician. His repertoire spans from
Renaissance to the present day with a particular interest in 20th and
21st century music, especially from Latin America.
During August 2014
and most of 2015 Thomas Lyng Poulsen worked intensively on the solo guitar
works of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, the result of which is the
release of a recording of these works available as CD or download from www.digibutik.dk/DiGiDi-250.aspx?GroupID=GROUP1111
Rich, darker tones open the Prelude No. 3 in A minor: Andante - Molto adagio e dolorido with
Poulsen delivering a lovely rich tone. He is fully inside Villa-Lobos’ sound
world in the way he paces and phrases the music with some quite exquisite
moments. Poulsen brings a glorious sound to
Prelude No. 4 in E minor: Lento – Animato – Moderato, beautifully paced and
sensitively controlled with some fine fluency in the faster passages. Prelude No. 5 in D major: Poco
animato—Meno—Più mosso brings a light, sunny brilliance, revealing further
aspects of Poulsen’s fine tone and fluency.
Poulsen reveals all the reticent charm of the Mazurka-Chôro that opens the Suíte Populaire Brésilienna (1928, rev.
1947–48) with subtle, varied dynamics and a fine clarity. Schottisch-Chôro brings some
exceptionally fine detail and fluency with beautiful phrasing. There is never a
harsh note, Poulsen always finding a lovely tone.
Valsa-Chôro has a
lovely rhythm and flow and some fine harmonies. This guitarist finds new
textures at every turn and brings a great fluency in the faster passages. Gavotta-Chôro is beautifully paced with Poulsen
finding some lovely textures, revealing a touch of melancholy in this beautiful
performance, sensitive to every nuance. Chôrinho
brings some fine rhythms, again superbly phrased with subtle control of tempi.
There are some terrific faster passages as it develops with a particularly
lovely coda.
The Valsa Concerto No.
2 (1904) is one of Villa-Lobos's
very first compositions to survive. Thomas Lyng Poulsen brings some lovely
flourishes to this work before picking up a fine rhythmic quality. Poulsen provides
a fine clarity of musical line and extracts many fine timbres and textures from
his instrument.
Chôro no. 1,
"Chôro típico" (1920) brings lovely phrasing and rhythms combined
with a terrific fluency. There are passages of fine forward propulsion as well
as more variety of timbres and textures.
Poulsen provides some
beautiful arpeggios in the Étude No. 1 in
E minor - Étude des arpèges: Allegro non Troppo of Douze études (1929; rev. 1948/53), with a beautifully done little
coda. Étude No. 2 in A major - Des
arpèges: Allegro finds this guitarist bringing a great fluency and
dexterity to the rising and falling motif.
There is great fluency and dexterity in the Étude No. 3 in D major: Allegro moderato
revealing much detail in this intricate piece, brilliantly played. Étude No. 4 in G major – Des accords
répétés: Un peu modéré - Grandioso
brings some really fine textures, finely phrased.
The gentle Étude No. 5
in C major: Andantino—Poco meno receives an exquisite performance, sensitive
to every little detail and nuance before a lively, finely accented Étude No. 6 in E minor: Poco Allegro.
There is a finely shaped Étude
No. 7 in E major: Tres animé - Moins with Poulsen’s lovely phrasing and attention
to subtle dynamics revealing so many facets of this music. He finds a gentle
tempo out of which to draw Villa-Lobos’ lovely little theme for Étude No. 8 in C sharp minor: Modéré with
moments of faster, fluent playing as the works develops, occasionally finding a
darker atmosphere.
Poulsen provides a fine delicacy in the Étude No. 9 in F sharp minor: Tres peu animé, full of fluent, free
flowing passages. Étude No. 10 in B
minor: Tres animé - Un peu animé - Vif receives much fire and passion with
passages of more thoughtful intimacy in this finely shaped performance with a terrific
coda.
There is a sultry Étude
No. 11 in E minor: Lent—Poco meno - Animé with Poulsen finding so many
textures and timbres as the work develops and becomes more animated. Finely
there is a lovely Étude No. 12 in A
minor: Animé - Più mosso - a tempo primo
- Un peu plus animé with Poulsen delivering a performance of great
dexterity and clarity, finely phrased. A terrific way to round off this disc.
Here we have a particularly fine guitarist. It is his
ability to shape and phrase, to find new textures and timbres that brings these
works alive. My HiRes download is full of detail placing the soloist right
there in one’s room.
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