The market for lute/theorbo/guitar discs may not be one of the most dynamic, but if more people heard performances and recordings such as this, surely there would be something of an increased interest. And how many listeners have ever heard of Robert de Visée? Other than the fact that this obscure 17th century composer wrote some very fine music (and this is only Volume 1 in a series!), what’s most important is that Eduardo Egüez performs it with such panache, finesse, and assured technical mastery. Smooth legatos, clean, snappy articulation, and an affinity for continuity of line and the varied colors achievable with both register and harmonic alteration place Egüez’s interpretations among the best of the premier practitioners of repertoire from this period, including Nigel North, Paul O’Dette, Jakob Lindberg, and Sylvain Bergeron. The four suites included here follow the traditional dance-movement format, and it’s fascinating to hear the differences not so much in the musical works, which are fairly consistent in manner and substance, but in the timbre and character of the 11-course lute versus the theorbo and baroque guitar. The music is artfully constructed, solidly of its period and locale, yet never routine or merely functional. Whoever he was, Visée (roughly a contemporary of Bach) understood the workings of plucked-string instruments–and he’s fortunate to have an advocate as competent and enthusiastic in promoting his oeuvre as Eduardo Egüez. The sound is clear, intimate, and faithful to each instrument–and to anyone who’s ever been put off by the scraping and squeaking that mars so many lute/guitar recordings, you needn’t worry. Exemplary. [08/04/2004]
