Nojima Plays Ravel CD

ReviewThe Work of Tomo IwakuraBy Chuck LeonardTomo Iwakura's classical guitar work is blissfully gifted from the first strike of the string through his last arpeggio. With six works to his name including, several discs that include the work of J.S. Bach, as transposed for guitar, particularly his Lute Suites and Partitas, through his other recorded works which include compositions by Astor Piazzola, Carlo Domeniconi, Johann Kaspar Mertz, and the more obscure work of the classical guitar repertoire, including Roland Dyens: Libra Sonatine.

Tomo Iwakura's guitar work is some of the finest classical guitar work out there today. His work combines the softness of William Kanengiser and Andrew York, famous for their solo work, as well as their combined work in the L.A. Guitar Quartet; but at the same time Tomo Iwakura's work consists of a power, strength, and aesthetic sensibility that can only be found on the scratchy old LPs of the late Andres Segovia. Tomo Iwakura's brings his guitar to life, making it sing, dance the gigue, and even tango. His recorded work runs the gamut of the guitar repertoire, thus proving that Tomo Iwakura is a master of the classical guitar and all of it's various styles; from the early transposed works of J.S. Bach right through the compositions that made the guitar famous in the beginning and middle of the twentieth century, and up through to later works of Astor Piazzola, and his various tango experiments.

Tomo Iwakura's playing and performance are strong and unparalleled. His work is extremely gifted and while there are some artists that are comfortable playing these pieces, especially the J.S. Bach works, as if they're nothing more than dusty old LP's, Tomo Iwakura breathes new life into these pieces and lifts the beauty of their melodic and harmonic materials to the fore. Tomo Iwakura work is par excellence, and his playing is flawlessly top-notch.