Customer Reviews

Message of the Sea: Celtic Music for Guitar

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

David Russell, born in Glasgow, was raised in the sunny paradise of Minorca, Spain. At age 14 he took up the guitar, prompted by his father, artist William Russell an amateur guitarist. David was weaned on scratchy 78 RPM recordngs of Segovia, and later studied music and guitar at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Winner of the Bream and Segovia awards while in his youth, David went on to become one of the finest classical guitart soloists in the world. His venture into Celtic traditional tunes stems from his enchantment upon hearing a taped recording of World Champion Strathclyde Police Pipe Band playing marches, reels and laments. ...David felt the sublime call of ancient tunes played on ancient pipes...and knew that, one day, he would adapt these very tunes to the guitar. At last he has done just that...and listeners, Celtic or not, are in for a treat! Here, indeed, are Celtic gems which will steal your heart away...played with such feeling you'd think David wrote every one himself. A masterpiece by a master player! Jim Leggett International Press Service

David Russell is recognised as a master of romantic guitar music, and on this beautiful recording he pays homage to his Celtic roots, with his own arrangements Irish reels, Scottish lullabies, and folk songs.

From the opening track, the blistering Bucks of Oranmore, to the lush title track Message of the Sea, Russells playing is never less than truly captivating, as always with meticulous attention to detail. Every ornament is crisp and consise, and standard classics like The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond sound here as though they were written for the guitar.

I bought this CD two weeks ago and it hasn't been out of the player the entire time! Every piece is masterfully played; there are no distractions like squeaks or glissandos. Every note is perfect. The selection of pieces is terrific. I recommend this CD highly.

I bought this after hearing one of the pieces, Farewell to Stromness, on the radio a number of times. These pieces are beautifully played, and David Russell has composed wonderful arrangements of the well-known tunes. Altogether, one of the most beautiful recordings I have heard in a long time. -B. Stafford

David Russell, whose bell-like purity of tone on the classical guitar has to be heard to be believed, returns from the classical repertoire of the guitar to the folk repertoire of his Scots heritage and makes a clutch of Celtic ballads completely new. An amazing performance for fans of both the classical guitar and Celtic music.

These are traditional Irish and Celtic tunes, played on the guitar by one of the great guitarists of our generation. Some tunes are familiar, others not, but every note sounds "just right." A very enjoyable listen from the first. Repeated listenings reveal many subtleties in the music. You really can't go wrong with this recording. Highly recommended.

I bought the CD a year or so ago, after attending a live performance of Mr. Russell's, when he played, "The Bonny Bonny Banks of Loch Lomand". It was so beautiful (not a dry eye in the place), so I bought the CD. I listend to the CD once in my car, and noted the famous tunes, and not much else. I went back to my Bach and Mozart, never playing Mr. Russell's CD again - until this week, when - after another live concert by Mr. Russell, I took out my copy of Message of the Sea and put it on. Now I can't stop playing it. It really caught me. Absolutely beautiful. It's not a CD to listen to once, or to pick out one cut or two. You must hear it from beginning to end. Only then do you get caught up in the mood - the ambiance. It weaves a tapestry - it casts a spell - but quietly. This is something different - a departure from the standard repertoire (do we really need another recording of Bach's Lute Suites anyway?). This is truly different. It is to be treasured. I highly recommend it - but find a quiet place and put it on and just let it play. Let it play a few times like that and you will be enchanted - as I am.

This is a great CD. What really blows my mind is the quality of musicianship found here... it was my first introduction to David Russell, and he has come to be recognized as one of the modern guitar greats (thank goodness - had it been just another guy I'd have been forced to burn my guitars!)

There are certain tunes on here that I don't particularly care for, but there are others that you just don't hear performed on classical guitar very often, if ever. I tend to prefer uptempo stuff since I don't feel that classical guitar carries the weight to "fill the space" well enough on slower numbers (just my opinion... some composers can use the empty space for dramatic purposes very well, but I probably judge more harshly than most in this regard: there are only a handful of slow tunes in the entire classical guitar repertoire that I really enjoy). With that said, there are too many slow tunes here for my liking, which is why I give it 4 rather than 5 stars. It's not a huge complaint, otherwise I'd dock it even more, and it's not all slow, either... when Russell uncorks something like "Cherish the Ladies," it really is a thing of beauty, and there are several others that are particularly exciting and fresh compared to the almost entirely romantic or baroque collection we all already have sitting around. Get it: you won't regret it.

Many of the pieces on the CD are terrific, and played in the celtic style. However, there are several pieces that sound as though it is a classical guitarist playing the pieces (that's to be expected - D. Russell is a classical guitarist). Those pieces are the poorest on the CD (e.g. Fantasy on a Scottish Air). Despite that, I'd still recommend it.

The choice of pieces is exceptional but the sound quality of the recording is pretty awful. It sounds like the microphone was covered with a thick blanket. The guitar Russell plays is a Dammann but the quality of recording is so poor it might as well be a cigar box. Shame, and you know what, it's just as bad on the other CD I have of his: "Baroque Guitar." I like your playing and taste but David, please get a better engineer.