Cartografía del Mar (Maps of the Sea) [Pure DSD]

I am in love with this stunningly great Pure DSD256 recording from Gonzalo Noqué at Eudora Records! Gonzalo has made some excellent Pure DSD256 recordings over the past several years, but this is perhaps his best recording to date...

Gonzalo achieves a near perfect balance of the instruments vis-à-vis each other and within the overall acoustic space of the venue. Do you have any idea how difficult it can be to capture the full range of the modern flute without harshness or breakup? For such a small instrument, the immense dynamics, the delicacy of harmonic overtones, and the extremely high frequencies of its range can be an ultimate challenge for a recording engineer. Add to this the soft delicate sounds of a classical guitar and you have an ultimate challenge to find the right balance that pays respect to both performers. This recording simply nails it...

André Cebrián and Pedro Mateo Gonzalez perform with immaculate technical skill, but more importantly they play to communicate. They play with intelligent emotion, a phrase I use most intentionally because while their playing has a lot of emotional content, it is imbued with a cerebral framework that pays homage to the composers. Their playing honors the music and is not a flight of their own fanciful imagination. Only two instruments throughout, but constantly changing and consistently engaging.

With a total time of 72:15, this is a generously full album. The fact that the music is engaging and extremely well performed makes this album a joy for listening and a treat to savor through multiple replaying. Each time I listen to it, I find it rewarding, revealing new insights. Highly recommended!