ショパンとフラメンコ

ショパンの名曲とフラメンコの出会い!?
フラメンコ・ギターの名手による委嘱作品集!

2005年から、ショパンの故郷ワルシャワで夏に開催されている国際音楽祭「ショパンと彼のヨーロッパ」。ショパンを核に置きつつも、過去から現代音楽までの幅広いレパートリー、そして、ソロからオーケストラまでの多様なジャンル、また世界で活躍する一流音楽家が集うことでも知られています。

本アルバムでは、2010年の音楽祭でショパン生誕200周年を記念し、フラメンコ・ギターの名手、パコ・ペーニャがショパンの名曲をフラメンコのためにアレンジした委嘱作品を取り上げています。フラメンコの特徴である歌、踊り、ギターを紹介しつつ、ショパンの名曲が持つ要素を見事に取り入れており、これまでにはなかった新たな可能性を追求した意欲作です。
東京エムプラス

Flamenco guitarists, like the kora players of Mali, are famous fusionists, showing up on jazz, pop, and even country recordings. In classical music, of course, the influence of the style in the music of Rodrigo and other composers from Spain and elsewhere, but to mix flamenco with Chopin, not Spanish in the least, may seem a stretch. Contrary to the claim that guitarist Paco Pena here produces sounds that have never been heard before, several other players have attempted the fusion, but Penas album-length attempt is both more extensive and more varied than other such experiments. Heard here are live performances from the year 2010, recorded at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy in Warsaw. This institution takes an admirably open approach to innovations in performing Chopins music, and it is to be commended for pulling this recording off the scrap heap. Pena does not just quote famous Chopin pieces but weaves them into the fabric of a flamenco performance in several ways. Most of the pieces present the Chopin tunes (mostly pieces in triple meter) as a sort of lyrical relief from the intensity of the flamenco rhythms, but a couple of them introduce the tune near the beginning. The emphasis throughout is on the flamenco element; the first three pieces contain no Chopin at all, and Pena is accompanied by foot-stomping dancers and a vocalist. The whole thing does not come off as gimmicky in any way; the appearance of the Chopin melodies is pleasing and natural. This is a must for flamenco lovers and really anyone interested in the possibilities for combining classical music with other genres. ~ James Manheim