Sensitive interpretation of sound from vanished worlds

by Sibylle Ehrismann

translated from German by Barbara Ludwig, minor editorial corrections by Reza Ganjavi 

[extract from intro:] Reza Ganjavi - The guitarist who holds us spellbound with his CD 'Dancing hands'.... His constant companion, his guitar, goes everywhere by his side.  

Rarely do we meet highly talented individuals who are gifted at an equally high level in different branches. Musicians who manage themselves are especially hampered very much by our present-day practice of 'overmanaging'.
This is not the case with Reza. Reza is a true cosmopolitan, having been born in Iran and then having studied in the States. (He obtained a Master degree in Management, and degrees in Computer Sciences and Philosophy magna cum laude). But his guitar was ever present, be it as a spiritual and artistic focus of the refugé, or to counterbalance the influence of his technical education.
Both of Reza's CD recordings, self-published, respectively, in the year 2000 and 2003 testify to his multicultural open-mindedness and as well to his American promoting skills.
 
His first CD rapidly became a bestseller in guitar circles. The booklet, composed and illustrated by Reza himself is only available in English. The texts are easy to understand and his philosophy is clearly demonstrated by the proverbial citings of great artists and philosophers.
Even if blurbs such as 'rezamusic: dedicated to a new millenium of friendship, dialogue, peace, harmony, understanding, cooperation and cultural exchange' may sound a bit corny, listening to the CDs themselves is worthwhile.The musician not only differentiates clearly between the leading melodies and the background but also offers a complex interpretation of the repertoire which is true to the style of the music.
The venue of recording, a small church in <snip> near Berne, Switzerland, enhances the appealing and subtly manipulated sound picture by its interesting acoustics. The plucked sound of the guitar vibrates well and dies gently.


Spanish temperament and French interpretation 

The repertoire on the CD is not trite either. 'Reza in friendship' contains works, including Spanish ones, of the Romantic period of the 19th century, the composers used to play them themselves in the French salons as piano and guitar virtuosi. So, Reza transposes rather cleverly the 'Preludio' by Isaac Albéniz for guitar, originally written for the piano. Spanish temperament meets French interpretation in the 'Serenata Espaniola' by Joachin Malats or the Etudes by Carcassi or by Sor.

Reza's second CD covers works for the lute and guitar from the Renaissance and Baroque period, simple but vibrating music. Some of Reza's fellow musicians and friends play as well, for example the star recorder player Maurice Steger. Here, the Spanish composer Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710), a pioneer of the guitar as solo instrument, plays a main role as well. Until Sanz appeared the guitar was used strictly as an accompanying instrument. In addition, we get two works by Scarlatti and suites for the lute by Bach, sometimes accompanied by a flute and violoncello.

Published by www.rezamusic.com