Fantasía Andaluza Petri Kumela & Joonas Widenius

• 1Fantasía Andaluza03:46
• 2Homenaje, Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy (version for guitar)03:36
• 3El sombrero de 3 picos (The 3-Cornered Hat): Suite No. 2: II. Danza del molinero (arr. J.A. Muro, P. Kumela and J. Widenius for 2 guitars)02:47
• 4La vida breve, Act: II: Danza Española No. 1 (arr. P. Kumela and J. Widenius for 2 guitars)03:27
• 5Recuerdos de la Alhambra05:39
• 6Suite española No. 1, Op. 47: No. 3. Sevilla (arr. M. Barrueco and P. Kumela for guitar)05:02
• 7Malagueña (arr. P. Kumela and J. Widenius for 2 guitars)08:10
• 8Verdiales (arr. P. Kumela and J. Widenius for 2 guitars)04:15
• 9Sierra Nevada03:36
• 10La delicada03:41
• 11Canciones espanolas Antiguas: Nana de Sevilla (arr. P. Kumela and J. Widenius for 2 guitars)02:22
• 12Sevillanas03:24
• Total Runtime49:45

Info for Fantasía Andaluza

This album concentrates on a specific period, the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the paths of classical and flamenco guitar ran close together and sometimes converged. In addition to their duets, both play solos from their own genres. Petri Kumela chose classics. Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra, 1896) by Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909) is a popular evergreen, as is Sevilla (1885) by Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909), though he originally wrote it for his own instrument, the piano. …

Flamenco guitar and classical guitar are brothers. They have travelled through history side by side, at times very close and at others further apart. The two top Finnish guitarists on this disc mirror their instruments one against the other.

The Spanish classics, from Fernando Sor to Joaquín Rodrigo, must surely be part of the staple diet of any classical guitarist. Flamenco is rooted in southern Spain, in Andalucía, where it developed into the genre of music and dance we know today in the mid-19th century.

The national instrument of Spain, the guitar is descended from the lute brought with them by the Moors of northern Africa who occupied the region from the 8th to the 15th centuries. The instrument developed and sent out shoots in many directions. The classical guitar established a school of its own, while the music of the masses was accompanied with highly rhythmical rasguedo strumming patterns. It was from these that the flamenco gradually evolved to become a genre in its own right. In the process, certain techniques became characteristic of the flamenco guitar and enriched the stylistic palette. The guitar is the only instrument played in traditional flamenco.

Petri Kumela, guitar
Joonas Widenius, flamenco guitar

Petri Kumela & Joonas Widenius
have together honed a distinct sound and approach to rhythm. Their instruments have, it is true, met before in the history of music, but few have so determinedly worked to establish a common sound, making their encounter not just a casual project but a real duo.

The instruments and their techniques differ, and there is no reason to hide this. The important thing in flamenco is above all a percussive sound and a pronounced rhythm, whereas classical guitar aims at a full-bodied, singing quality. This greatly affects the right-hand technique in particular. A flamenco guitar is also much lighter than a classical one, and the strings are closer to the fingerboard. The honour for developing the modern version of both goes to Antonio de Torres Jurado (1817–1892).

Whereas the classical guitarist in most cases works from the notes on the page, the flamenco guitarist plays by ear. The former must be familiar with styles and performing conventions, the latter commands the traditional genres (such as the bulerias, soleá, seguiriyas and taranta), their characters, rhythms and harmonies. But both must always internalize and reproduce the music as they feel.

Booklet for Fantasía Andaluza