Castillos De Viento

Castillos De Viento

Description: 
Castles in the wind
Composers: 
Hebert Vázquez
Michael Fiday
Shafer Mahoney
Chen Yi
Jesse Jones
Performers: 
Molly Barth
Duo Damiana
Dieter Hennings
Catalog Number: 
#982
Genre: 
new classical
Collection: 
flute
acoustic guitar
Location: 

Lexington, KY

Price: 
$15.00
Release Date: 
Feb 23, 2018
Liner Notes: 
View
1 CD
One Sheet: 

Flutist Molly Barth and guitarist Dieter Hennings join forces to form Duo Damiana, a trail-blazing ensemble dedicated to pushing the boundaries of  flute and guitar music. In their debut album, titled Castillos de Viento (Castles in the Wind), Duo Damiana has gathered some of today’s most captivating voices. Composers Michael Fiday, Jesse Jones, Shafer Mahoney, Hebert Vázquez, and Chen Yi provide a powerful soundscape that emphasizes both the individual beauty of each instrument as well as its collective power. An album with a unique global vision in mind, the works by Fiday, Vázquez, and Yi look East to Japan and China for its inspiration, while the works of Mahoney and Jones are deeply rooted in the American tradition. The title castillos de viento refers to the "ephemeral yet powerful nature of music. Although intangible, it reaches emotions that are rooted in solid, cogent, timeless ground within us."

El jardín del pasaje púrpura (the garden of the purple passage), written by Hebert Vázquez, alludes to a Japanese garden with cherry blossoms. Michael Fiday’s 5 Haiku are a set of varied musical reflections on texts by the 17th-century Japanese haiku master Matsuo Basho, their concise forms revealing an entire world within. The rich elements of authentic folk music from three minority nationalities in China West are the subject matter of Three Bagatelles from China West by Chen Yi. The quiet, introspective nature of Shafer Mahoney’s Shining River was inspired by the writings of John Muir, the American naturalist. Jesse Jones is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Elliott Carter Rome Prize in Composition from the American Academy in Rome; he has written a four-movement tour-de-force for Duo Damiana.

Barth, a founding member of the contemporary powerhouse ensemble Eighth Blackbird, and Dieter Hennings, of the Eastman Broadband, both prolific in their individual projects, come together to provide what will surely be a referential recording in its field. Barthis Associate Professor of Flute at the University of Oregon and  Hennings is Associate Professor of Guitar at the University of Kentucky.

Reviews: 

MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL

This is a well-recorded and superbly performed recital of some excellent new music for flute and guitar. It certainly kept me enthralled from beginning to end, so I have every faith it will do the same for you. [FULL ARTICLE] - Dominy Clements

KATHODIK

"The Duo Damiana explores and interprets the contemporary repertoire for flute and guitar in an impeccable way. The two performers, equipped with an excellent technique, perform five interesting compositions by as many contemporary authors, composed for this chamber formation. In El Jardín Del Pasaje Púrpura by Herbert Vazquez, rhythmically very complex, the sounds blend and counterpoint perfectly, giving proof of great executive understanding. Fascinating and evocative the Five Haiku composed by Michael Fiday inspired, in fact, the very short Japanese compositions; Beautiful song Shining River out of Shafer Mahoney pen, dreamy, delicate, harmonically beautiful. The Three Bagatelles From China West by the Chinese composer Chen Yi instead introduce us in the meanders of the fascinating world of oriental music, while the Sonata by Jessie Jones, the longest complex and varied composition of this work, manages to highlight the many possibilities and facets that this chamber music duo possesses. A very nice and very musical CD." [FULL ARTICLE] - Luciano Feliciani

ICON

"The Duo’s playing is loaded with immaculate technique but (more) importantly, plenty of heart." - Mark Keresman

DUO DAMIANA

"Molly Alicia Barth brings her flute and alto flute to create a series of duets with guitarist Dieter Hennings. The pieces are in the modern classical vein, with some bluesy moments on “Five Haiku” and moody shadows on Jesse Jones’ “Sonata.” Barth’s flute wisps with sublime taste on “Shan Ge” and gives dashes of Asian harmonies o “Nai Guo Hou” and “Shining River.” Classy 21st Century  classicism." [FULL ARTICLE]