Eduardo Eguez
The Lute Music of J.S. Bach

Review by Steven Stone
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CD Stock Number: MA Recordings MO 53A

 

  The lute is a stringed instrument that resembles an A-shaped mandolin crossed with a medusa. It seems to have too many strings for any normal digited human to handle, but Eduardo Eguez is more than up to the task of taming this multi-stringed monster. Instead of the usual mechanically precise but soulless Bach interpretations that are all too often passed off as "historically correct" Eguez presents a moody and atmospheric Bach. At times this Bach seems even spacey and romantic.

The recording is as technically remarkable as the music is beautiful. MA Recordings are the creation of one man, Todd Garfinkle. Todd is based in Japan, but he travels the globe with his state-of the art digital gear in search of great sounding halls to record in. This particular CD was made at the Convento del'Annunziata in Brescia, Italy. His recording chain is simple yet elegant. It starts with a specially modified pair B&K 4003 omini-directional microphones (with built-in mic preamps), a one-meter pair of Cardas Golden Cross mike cables, and finally, a custom Pioneer D-07 high-sampling DAT machine. Todd believes in making recordings with no EQ, limiting, or sweetening of any kind. He tries to capture all the natural acoustic qualities of the actual musical event. He is, in short, an audiophile's audiophile. The results are breathtaking.

MA Recording's packaging is as impressive as their recordings. Forget about those nasty 'ol jewel cases. Instead MA has a three-fold box featuring striking photographs and sumptuous printing using real gold ink. A sixteen-page booklet about Bach's manuscripts written by Eduardo Eguez and a mini catalog of MA's other offerings complete the CD package. Check out their catalog. You will discover classical and early music plus jazz, including several recordings featuring Todd on piano. Rediscovered Memories is a sampler of the first fifteen MA recordings. It will stretch your musical horizons while showing you just how amazingly good an old-fashioned CD can sound.

Enjoyment: 85

Sound Quality: 95