Dulce YouTube - Dulce Official Website - Dulce Apple Music - Dulce Spotify - Dulce SoundCloud
Paul YouTube - Paul Official Website - Paul Apple Music - Paul Spotify - Paul SoundCloud
Paul YouTube - Paul Official Website - Paul Apple Music - Paul Spotify - Paul SoundCloud
SINGLE REVIEW FOR
“Adagio in G minor”
Musicians
Dulce Joya and Paul Landry
Piano and Orchestration Dulce Joya - Classical Guitar Paul Landry
“What a beautiful partnership!”An absolutely spine tinglingarrangement of Tomaso Albinoni’s ‘Adagio in G minor’with the famous melody we all know and love. Italian Baroque at it’s best.Paul and Dulce have got this spot on. All the hallmarks of Baroque music are here, especially the way Dulce uses the ‘pizzicato’ strings in descending octaves, (just like Bach did with his ‘Air on a G string’). The long and elegant arco-bowed strings compliment beautifully, sweeping and sensual.
At 0.51, and with great clarity, a classical guitar jumps from the page with it’s divine playing by Paul. In true Baroque style, he decorates and embellishes with mordents and inverted mordents. He makes the guitar speak, literally. The melancholy melodic lines are mesmerizing. They weep with sadness, my eyes are wet. Our ears naturally follow the ends of Paul’s phrases, where we are treated to a gentle vibrato. We are also treated to some amazing Flamenco-strumming, stylish and on point. This duo make episodes their own in this long-form single track of 7.32 and the choice of this particular best-loved classic is genius! You can do so much with it! It drips with a sadness we can feel, intensely, so emotive. The next episode is for Dulce. She keeps the piano somewhat distant, beautifully controlled, and no bulges in tone. ( my piano playing isriddled with them!!) She has shared the space equally between piano and orchestra, tastefully done, unlike in concerto form where the piano stands out more.
This is a creative decision of much style as she is almost laying down a luxurious backdrop for the entire score to benefit from. My favourite part is coming next......a crescendo starts to build, a timpani-rollincreases the passion, then a cinematic wave, full of romance and climax, embraces us. When the water levels up, Paul and Dulce move entwined, for normality, for a little while. Their musicianship together is stunning. An arrangement to die for. Everyone needs to hear this, music that transcends explanation. Music that will make you regress back to a point in your life where heavy emotion was present, and tinged with sadness maybe. There’s more of the same as the piece moves on, littered with amazing solos on both parts, and welcoming back another timpani roll, I love timpani rolls!! The end harmony is very interesting, an open perfect 5th, stark and so final. Dulce wondered if she and Paul had done Albinoni proud???
........well I can say an emphatic “YES!!”