Raymond Burley

Raymond Burley, Arne Brattland and Andrew Warn

Available to purchase via:

Crotchet Factory
1 Edward St,
Eastville,
Bristol.
BS5 6LW

Phone: 0117 9518015
E-mail: Crotchet Factory

SCENES Lyric Guitar Trio (Raymond Burley, Arne Brattland and Andrew Warn).
Crotchet Factory CFTL1.

The Schumann essentially comprises 13 miniature pieces, the shortest at 39 seconds, at longest at 2:33. There is a certain prettiness here, although I found the slightness/brevity of some of it rather difficult to attend to, the quintessential 'childish' nature is well captured.

Five selections from 'West Side Story' do nicely. 'America' must be exuberant, 'Maria' must be full of love and longing, 'I Feel Pretty' requires a certain joie de vivre, 'Gee, Officer Krupke' has to be humorous, and 'Tonight' must reveal wonder and innocence.

I have to confess a disinterest in Rogers' 'The Sound of Music', not my thing at all. Obviously the three players like it and feel a need to have included four pieces from this famous musical. One can only reiterate the obvious, that it would be a shame if we all thought the same thing. If 'Edelweiss' and 'Do-Re-Mi' are for you, then I can only say it's well played and you will enjoy it.

The three traditional Peruvian melodies are open hearted, immediate, attractive, the kind of music which the average person in the street would respond to, and nothing wrong with that.

The best of the lot for me lies in the Albeniz - music I certainly do love regardless of whether it's set for one or more guitars. A refined 'Cordoba' and a gentle 'Tango' precede a vivacious 'Sevilla', all exhibiting the good tone and ensemble skills evident across the CD, albeit not quite as enriching as the Pro Arte Trio in which Ray Burley also performs. The Lyric Trio has certainly put together a programme with a difference, and those for whom the repertoire appeals will not be disappointed.

Chris Kilvington (Classical Guitar magazine)