All of the guitar transcriptions on this disc are based on classical, semi-classical, and Broadway musical selections that appear in movies, along with a few actual pieces of film music. That explains the collection’s title “Cinema Verismo”. Otherwise, why else would one place Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze” (featured in the film Rainbow) between Nino Rota’s “Waltz” from The Godfather and Vangelis’ title theme from Chariots of Fire? Or go from David Russell’s lovely Bach “Air on the G String” arrangement (heard in Se7en) into Morricone’s “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”? If this seems like nothing more than some random crossover mélange, rest assured that the 14 tracks add up to a well-contrasted and satisfying hour-long recital. More importantly, Mak Grgic’s abundant yet tasteful guitar virtuosity leaves a powerful impression.
In Chariots of Fire he maintains a steady, almost staccato running bass line against slow moving legato chords that give the impression of more than one instrument at work. The accompanimental clusters in Granados’ Spanish Dance No. 5 provide an urgent commentary alongside the curvaceous main tune. Some listeners may find the guitarist’s highlighting or accenting certain voices at the expense of others somewhat contrived in the Bach First Cello Suite Prelude based on Christopher Parkening’s arrangement, yet Grgic clearly knows what he wants to do. On the other hand, Grgic brings understated eloquence to a simple and effective arrangement of Bernstein’s “Somewhere” from West Side Story.
Aside from Grgic’s own talent for nuance and multi-hued voicings, the coloristic variety also is due to his use of different instruments throughout the recital, and the excellent booklet notes discuss these various models of guitars in great detail. While many guitar recordings place the instrument at close range in an effort to embrace the listener, producer Peter Robels opts for a more distant concert-hall perspective. The CD cover art resembles a lowbrow movie advertisement that may well bolster CD sales, yet to my mind cheapens Grgic’s genuine artistry.
