When the CD Afterimage first arrived it was an exciting prospect: a new disc by Slava Grigoryan. And when I first heard his playing I was impressed. For the CD represents an accomplished, accurate, and, most importantly, musical performance. The recording quality is of the highest standard, and the balance between guitar and other forces (from oboe to orchestra) carefully controlled. I like the sound of the guitar, and all the small nuances arising from the pluck of the string are well captured. The problem is that the quality of performance is not matched by the interest of the compositions. Some, like the opening Girasol prompt too many questions which don’t seem to have fruitful answers, whilst others, like the Ten Coastal Sketches left me irritated. All tracks on the CD are by Shuan Rigney, and I find his music either predictable and obvious, or meandering and discursive. Whether or not the fine playing is enough to counterbalance these criticisms will depend on the individual listener. For me it was a frustrating experience, but I look forward to the next Grigoryan recording.

© Michael Hooper