Standing Stones (NSRCD011): Here is Frevo Quartet at their most versatile and beautiful best. Standing Stones is their second offering in their themed EP series and displays the full virtuosity of these young musicians. An unlikely combination of instrumentation - guitar, violin, flute and bass - works superbly well to produce a perfectly balanced whole. From the beautifully haunting “Arisaig” to the rumbustuous “Guards Brigade at Anzio” we have a delightful selection of Scottish and Irish music reflecting both the traditional and contemporary. The enjoyment of playing comes through clearly in this superb quality recording. If you haven’t heard Frevo before, this is the perfect introduction.

Histoire du Tango (NSRCD010): Their musicianship is of the highest order and the fact that they did their own arrangement of this now legendary work, also illustrates their extremely good taste in orchestration. My admiration of this group is further enlarged by the fact that it was recorded ‘live’ in front of an audience in a concert from Crail Parish Church, Fife, a fact that really only comes to light when the audience’s applause erupts at the conclusion; despite the fact that it states it on the sleeve, one does tend to forget this live situation, so good is the recording and playing quality.

Histoire du Tango (NSRCD010): Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango has been recorded many times. This recording is like no other. The Frevo Quartet’s arrangement adds depth and sparkle to the original flute and guitar version. These musicians (and they are all excellent) bring the work to life in this performance recorded before an audience at Crail Parish Church in Fife. There is nothing else on this twenty-two-minute CD, and nothing else is needed. A little gem, and presented in a beautifully produced folder. Wonderful.

Merula (NSRCD001): Scottish classical guitarist Matthew McAllister has incredible talent as a composer and guitarist. A student from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he knows his stuff, and this instrumental album is sure to soothe any guitar-loving beast. It’s best served with a glass of red wine and a comfy chair. If you’re into listening to more than one instrument, this may not be the album for you. While it’s beautifully composed, all you hear is guitar and not much else. Highlight: ‘Mr. Dowland’s Midnight’—just gorgeous!

Recital (NSRCD004): Recital is a CD where two musicians, Matthew McAllister (guitar) and Aisling Agnew (flute) play a very wide variety of music, from Bach (his sonata BWV1034) to very modern works by Dave Heath, Greg Caffrey and David Fennessy – with plenty of works in between! I found the whole CD quite enthralling, wonderful individual musicianship and yet quite obvious “togetherness”. It was simply amazing how much just these two instruments could achieve, and how much they could put over to the listener. To say it is worth listening to is putting it very mildly! Whether it is the variety of flute-playing demonstrated, or the continuo of the guitar (in the Bach sonata particularly), every note is well worth repeated playing!

I had never heard some of the modern works, but their impact is tremendous, whether it is the power of “Pluck, Blow” (Greg Caffrey) or the mystery of “Continuity Error “ (David Fennessy), and one can easily listen to “Gentle Dreams” (Dave Heath) again and again. These three form the middle part of the whole performance, after that we are back to more well-known music, a
wonderful arrangement of “Carmen Fantasie” by Francois Bome, followed by Poulenc’s “Mouvements Perpetuels” and finally Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante defunte”. All in all a delightful programme, quite superbly played.

For an introduction to the wide variety of music played by just these two instruments, this CD is excellent in every aspect – thoroughly recommended.

Merula (NSRCD001): It has almost become a general consensus that classical and contemporary repertoire need to be treated fundamentally different. ‘Merula’, however, works exactly because it defies the dogma. For his debut album, Matthew McAllister has taken the liberty of showing his abilties within the most diverse contexts, of organising a time-travel package through the ages and of recording his own interpretations of ‘a choice selection of classic guitar repertoire, alongside newer styles of contemporary guitar music.’ Even more significantly, he has allowed in an element, which has strangely been forgotten in the debate on historical practise: Empathy.

Maelasta (NSRCD002): What distinguishes this album is the fresh timbral palette of the unusual instrumental combination on the one hand and the surprising, sometimes even willful, but always convincing repertoire, which the duo totally makes their own. Starting with a detailed excursion into the world of the tango and Astor Piazzolla, McAllister and Hetherington turn towards a couple of less obvious, but highly rewarding shorter pieces, including Frederic Mompou’s dreamy “Prelude 5” and a stupendously idiosyncratic renderings of “Cailin na Gruaige Doinne”: Imagine an Irish traditional performed as though it were Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings”, the beautiful lament drifting off into a place of quiet sonorities before returning to sad acceptance.

Recital (NSRCD004): Even though the cover of this album depicts two instruments with a long tradition of their own, it is really an album about the interaction between two Classical musicians very much in touch with the present. Aisling Agnew and Matthew McAllister know their way in the digital domain, in the confinements of a studio surrounding and in the splintered landscape of 21st century composition, while at the same time cherishing the purity of a traditional concert with baroque and impressionist pieces. “Recital”, therefore, can be seen as a summary of what they are about, both aesthetically and programatically.

Recital (NSRCD004): The Agnew / McAllister duo once again show their talents as arrangers in a super presentation of the Fantasie from ‘Carmen’ where Aisling Agnew displays her highly polished, fluid technique to its best advantage. The programme concludes in French style with,once again two enjoyable performances of the Poulenc and Ravel works. Throughout this recording the duo handles all the technical and musical requirements with aplomb and have produced a most alluring disc.

Merula (NSRCD001): There will soon come the time where I will once again be asked by some curious music lover what classical guitar CD I recommend they buy in order to introduce themselves to the instrument. When that time arrives, Matthew McAllister will be the name that will spring to mind. In his recent release, entitled “Merula,” McAllister has produced a disc that features a careful selection of works that serve the dual purpose of complementing each other and representing a variety of composers, time periods, and styles of composition. With the exception of a world premiere recording of Douglas Whates’ “Old Photo” and two Ralph Towner pieces, the CD is a veritable “Best of the Classical Guitar”, featuring some of the most enduring compositions for the instrument. His interpretations of works such as “Choros No.1” by Villa-Lobos, “Julia Florida” by Barrios, and the notorious and anonymously written “Romanza” are carefully and naturally executed. McAllister is more daring in his performance of the popular “Asturias” by Albniz, in which he occasionally sacrifices accuracy in order to push the drama to the limit of his abilities. For anyone interested in experiencing the music of the classical guitar, I recommend this disc as it offers an appealing cross-section of the repertoire as well as Matthew McAllister’s pleasant interpretations.