Mariano García, Hommage Review

Mariano García is releasing a new album titled, Hommage. Inspired by the idea of focusing attention on a new saxophone and piano repertoire, which, although thoroughly modern, has its roots based on a long-standing tradition in chamber music’s repertoire. García’s passion for the colour and details the interaction of these instruments create is also at the heart of the project. The project’s repertoire was chosen for its linear language sustained by melody and rhythm and includes mostly first-world recordings. The freshness of the material leads to a performing path that inspires the works to start a long and varied course of diverse approaches in the future. After all, a recording is just a captured instant in time of a performance. Hommage attempts to capture the volatile essence of a physically ephemeral and spiritual, presenting flexible, eclectic, and communitive music. García is joined by pianist Aniana Jaime through a program of Piet Swerts (b. 1960): Le tombeau de Ravel (Arr. for Saxophone), Jean Denis Michat (b. 1971): Back to Bach, Cyrille Lehn (b. 1977): Saxophone Sonata, Jean Denis Michat: Roadbook I, Vincent David (b. 1974): “Nuée ardente,” and Joan Albert Amargós (b. 1950): Homenatge a Lorca.

Hommage opens with a composition by Belgian pianist and composer Piet Swerts. The three movements have sororities and melodies inspired by Maurice Ravel. “l. Monfort l’Amaury” opens with the saxophone and piano dancing around each other in a colorful counterpoint. The themes have a birdsong influence, which Ravel also incorporated into his works. García’s soprano saxophone tone is clear, and his balance with the piano and rhythmic articulation is sublime. When the melody switches to a more lyrical style, both García and Jaime work to support the theme. García’s phrasing is energetic, and he switches between the virtuosic quick ‘bird’ like melodies from a lyrical passage with grace and assuredness. Swerts is a colorful and imaginative composer; Le tombeau de Ravel is an outstanding work. Joan Albert Amargós is a composer known for his integration of jazz and flamenco into the classical tradition, and his reworking of three popular melodies from Federico Garcia Lorca’s songbook is beautifully performed. Vincent David’s composition “Nuée ardente” is a prime example of García’s technical prowess. Pianist Takahiro Mita’s performs with García’s on this track only. This piece is very demanding from a technical point of view. García brings his effortless phrasing to bear on both the lyrical sections and the linear energy. The shape of the composition builds to an eruption of sounds and emotion and is one of Hommage’s highlights. García’s Hommage is a stirring collection of contemporary classical music that will incite the imagination and provide hours of musical enjoyment. That’s the short of it!

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