Decca Gold Releases New Plínio Fernandes Album

from the Amazon.com Web page for the album being discussed

Yesterday Decca Gold released the “sophomore” album of Brazilian guitarist Plínio Fernandes. The title of the new album in Bacheando; and, as one might guess, all of the selections involve some connection or other to Johann Sebastian Bach. As was the case with the first album, Saudade, there is also a distinctive present of Sérgio Assad throughout most of the tracks.

The “primary Bach presence” comes from the performance of his BWV 998, an assembly of three movements (Prelude, Fugue, Allegro) in E-flat major, which, in all likelihood, were originally composed for performance on a lute. Those three movements are immediately followed by another such assembly (this time Preludio, Fuga, Vivace), composed by Assad. It is also worth noting that Assad had a hand in providing either transcriptions or arrangements of the other tracks on the album.

However, establishing his presence is no easy matter. The Amazon.com Web page for this album displays only the album’s front cover, suggesting that the artist, title, and a rather feeble attempt at a track listing are the only information provided. The good news is that Presto Music provides a much more informative account on its own Web page for the album, although the track content is only available through download. It also affirms one of my other suspicions, which is that the “physical” release does not include a booklet.

The good news is that all eleven of the tracks make for thoroughly engaging listening. Nevertheless, the extent of that engagement has much to do with how a satisfying listening experience almost always involves more than the tracks themselves. (Remember when “Context is everything” was a favorite motto worked to death?) Perhaps Assad can give Fernandes a few tips on recording companies that take a more serious approach to the music that they market!