RODRIGO: Aldeas de Espana – Joe Sakimoto, harmonica/ Fujie Sugata, piano – Works of RODRIGO, FARNON REILLY MOODY, JACOB, LANGFORD, WALTON, HANDEL, RACHMANINOFF, MOZKOWSKI, GRIEG, DRING, HEUBERGER, HOUGHTON – Camerata CMCD-28157, 76:27 [Distr. by Albany] *****:
This CD is seriously mislabeled as to title. The Rodrigo selection is only one eight-minute piece in the jam-packed album. Serious classical performances on the harmonica seem to be more appreciated in both Japan and Europe than in the U.S. The last harmonicist to receive much attention here was Larry Adler, and then there was the great John Sebastian Sr. – father of Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian – he had recorded some quite popular and amazing Columbia LPs of Bach on the harmonica.
Joe Sakimoto studied with harmonicist Tommy Reilly in London and played the Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto in Tokyo in 1978. He has performed frequently in Japan, often in concert with piano, harp, guitar or accordion. Playing a chromatic harmonica, he has has been able to present music popular music, works of Stephen Foster, contemporary Japanese compositions and works created especially for the harmonica.
Some of the selections are transcriptions for harmonica and piano. An immediately striking one is a suite of three selections from William Walton’s famous Facade Suite. There is an Air and Rondo from Handel and a Norwegian Dance No. 2 from Grieg. Madeleine Dring, known for her delightful jazzy chamber works, contributes a Danza Goya and an Italian Dance. The unexpected close of the recital is a transcription of the once often-played Holiday for Strings, which was the theme of the David Rose Orchestra. Sakimoto is clearly a skilled virtuoso on his small instrument, and should be given just as much status as any flutist or recorder player in this music. Camerata has very high audiophile sonic standards, and the recording is as good as you can get at 44.1/16-bit.
TrackList:
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901 – 1999) : Por los campos de España
Walton, William, Sir : Façade (3 selections only)
Rachmaninov, Sergei : Morceaux de fantaisies (5), Op. 3
Moszkowski, Moritz : Spanish Dances (5) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 12
Moody, James : Spanish Fantasy "Toledo"
Moody, James : Period Piece
Moody, James : Bachanalia
Grieg, Edvard : Norwegian Dances (4) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 35
Dring, Madeleine : Danza gaya
Heuberger, Richard : Der Opernball
Doughton, Alan: Holiday for Strings
– John Sunier
