The two composers whose music is interleaved in this collection are effectively contrasted by the layout of the programme. In the opening, fully composed Concerto democratico – the sobriquet suggesting equally demanding part-writing for all four players – our own John Duarte writes in a musical style in which jazz rhythms and influences are very strong. The exotically ruminative (and distinctly individual) central ‘Aria’ is certainly coloured by bluesy atmospheric influences, and they are felt, too, in the amiable opening of Americana, with its taxi-cab honks. Even if this movement (a North American evocation) is rather more European in flavour, the following haunting ‘Worksong’ has an unmistakable negro-slave provenance, while the closing ‘Hoedown’ wittily takes us further west. The Villa-Lobos-influenced Ballade and the Little Suite, with its sparkling opening idea (reused later), are more international in feeling, like the Diptych (a monothematic ‘Aria’ and ‘Toccata’).
The Czech, S??u??tep??u??an Rak, writes in an essentially improvisational style, his music steadily evolving through performance. One senses this immediately in the well-named Chimeric Prelude, and in the (very dramatic) Toccata. The three diverse Moods again reflect the quixotic style of this compositional technique, yet the concentration of the writing casts a spell on the listener. The Czech Fairy Tales (14’) are given only a single track and, irritatingly, the inadequate documentation provides no clue as to what these characterfully folksy pieces (or segments), with plenty of imaginative special effects, are all about. A similar vibrant quality gives the Rumba a distinctly southern atmosphere; the Taranto is more seductive, but both have obvious flamenco influences. Yet the closing Bohemian aria, more surprisingly, reminds one of The British Grenadiers ! The performances here are superbly alive and dedicated, and faithfully, if forwardly, recorded. Shame about the poor documentation.'