Bacheando Works by JS Bach, Villa-Lobos, Gonzaga, Sergio Assad et al Plínio Fernandes (guitar) Decca Gold B0038493-02 35:14 mins
Pairing the guitar works of Bach with the music of South America is a well-established album tradition, with plenty of underwhelming offerings. The second release from Plínio Fernandes is no such thing, showing the quiet, contemplative powers of a promising young artist. Bacheando combines original and transcribed works by Bach with the music of his homeland, Brazil.
This is the second major collaboration with fellow Brazilian guitarist/arranger Sérgio Assad, with whom Fernandes worked on Saudade, his first album with Decca. In both instances, we have several arrangements by Assad, but also an original piece: Prelude Fuga e Vivace, a neat pairing with Bach’s Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E flat.
Careful attention has been paid to voicing throughout, which shows off the highly textured nature of many of these pieces. With Decca’s brilliantly clear, highly detailed sound recording, the smallest of glitches or missteps would stand out – but nothing is missed or glossed over here. While phrasing could be more playful in parts, the listener is always in safe hands. The final track – the first movement of Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 – recentres the listener in a moment of still tranquility. It is with Villa-Lobos we sense that Fernandes feels most at home.
These vibrant performances of works close to Fernandes’s heart provide a hopeful foundation for further discovery.
Freya Parr
