Guadalupe López Íñiguez · Markku Luolajan-Mikkola · Olli Hyyrynen · Lauri Honkavirta
2018 · ABCD 412
Refined album debut with rare baroque gems
Spanish-born Guadalupe López-Íñiguez, who works both as a researcher and as a cellist, brings out lesser-known gems of the baroque on her debut album. Domenico Gabrielli, one of the first cello virtuosos and composers, has inspired a young cellist living in Finland: on his debut album, López-Íñiguez interprets the old Mediterranean musical tradition, in a complete recording of the cello works of Gabrielli and Alessandro Scarlatti.
The flourishing of early Italian Baroque in 17th-century instrumental music was largely based on new solo works, sonatas and concertos by violin virtuosos. In them, the Baroque style distanced itself from the old Renaissance style by adapting the forms of new vocal music, cantata and aria. Around the same time, in the second half of the 17th century, the rise of the cello as both an ensemble and solo instrument takes place. López-Íñiguez, who started as a researcher in the field of psychology, has also done autoethnographic research on romantic music, Beethoven and Mendelssohn's cello works. A diverse scholarly background is reflected in the album text, where López-Íñiguez reflects on the choices and questions that an early music player inevitably has to face: does one strive to realize the supposed ideals of the Baroque era in external ways, or does one deviate from them when one's own musicianship and heart demand it?
In playing, academicism comes across as good taste and measured interpretations at most. Alongside them – possibly through them – López-Íñiguez and his continuo group breathes a sensual, nuanced and especially beautiful spirit into the works of Gabrielli and Scarlatti. Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, guitarist of historical string instruments, guitarist Olli Hyyrynen and harpsichordist Lauri Honkavirta convince in Continuo.
The recording made in the Church of St. Lauri in Vantaa is pleasant, and the two sides of the duo sonatas, the soloist and the continuo player or players, are comfortably equal. Gabrielli's solo cello works, Ricercare are sprinkled between the sonatas, which brings a nice variety to the whole. I'm a bit squeamish about the fact that the recording is done remotely in them - or that the acoustics of the church have been added to them compared to the sonatas. The change in the acoustic space in the middle of the album perhaps serves the different sound textures of the solo works and the ensemble works - but it creates a disjointed tonal appearance in an otherwise uniform program.
The second composer on the album, Alessandro Scarlatti, a little later than Gabriel, was a master of emotional expression, singing and the use of harmony, one of the most important composers of the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe in general. He too had liked the cello and its human tone. Scarlatti is a bit more flamboyant, polemical and self-respecting artist than Gabriel, and his Neapolitan edginess can be seen on this album as well. If I could wish for something, it would be more boisterous variation and rounds of improvisation for short presto finales – such would undoubtedly have been part of it more than three hundred years ago. But overall, the record is a solid and refined opening from López-Íñiguez.
Domenico Gabrielli and Alessandro Scarlatti: cello works, complete recording. - Guadalupe López-Íñiguez, baroque cello, and Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, baroque cello, Olli Hyyrynen, baroque guitar and lute, and Lauri Honkavirta, harpsichord. (Alba, ABCD 412)
Her technique is excellent, and if you can enjoy her analytic ricercars, this is a fine program of some of our earliest cello music, recorded with warm sound.
American Record Guide · David W Moore ·
In this, her first recording, she is joined by a group of Finland’s finest baroque artists:, Markku Luolajan-Mikkola (baroque cello), Olli Hyyrynen (baroque guitar) and Lauri Honkavirta (Flemish harpsichord).
ClassicalCDReview.com · Robert Benson ·
The Spanish academic-musician Guadalupe López Íñiguez is the Baroque cello soloist in Domenico Gabrielli & Alessandro Scarlatti Complete Cello Works on an excellent Alba Super Audio CD (ABCD 412 alba.fi).
The WholeNote · Terry Robbins ·
I have a weakness for Baroque cello recordings, particularly those featuring Italian repertoire, so this CD was just what the doctor ordered.
Fanfare · Raymond Tuttle ·
Both composers, aided and abetted by the remarkable soloist, lead the ear in unexpected ways and the occasional dance movement comes as a happy relaxation.
MusicWeb International · Dave Billinge ·
En esta su primera grabación discográfica es acompañada por su maestro Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, junto con Lauti Honkavirta, clavicémbalo y Olli Hyyrinen, guitarra barroca y archilaúd.
Scherzo · Salustio Alvarado ·
I have greatly enjoyed this disc, and it has to be considered a very fine debut of Ms Íñiguez in the field of early music, as in the past she largely confined herself to music of the 19th and 20th centuries.
MusicWeb International · Johan van Veen ·
I have greatly enjoyed this disc, and it has to be considered a very fine debut of Ms Íñiguez in the field of early music, as in the past she largely confined herself to music of the 19th and 20th centuries.
musica Dei donum · Johan van Veen ·
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