duo boreealis
author: Marilyn Kerwin
What wonderful original music. A true joy. I had to buy a second CD as I gave mine away.
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two very talented young musicians with a very entertaining, warm and original pr
author: Bass World, Journal for the International Society of Bassists Jo
Evan Premo must be one of the busiest and most talented young double bass players in the U.S. Apart from studying bass and composition at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor he is an active soloist (he premiered the bass concerto by Finnish Composer, Jukka Linkola in August of last year) and recitalist. He has been performing with his family's folk group, White Water since he was eight years old and has been featured on the national radio program, 'From the Top' . This CD is the first release from his group Duo Borealis and everything about the recording - from the packaging (visually stunning work by Evan's younger sister, Laurel), the compositions (over half the tracks are Evan's works or arrangements) to the performances are simply beautiful.
The other half of the duo is Mary Bonhag, a young and gifted soprano and a senior at the University of Michigan. She has an impressive technique for such a young singer, a pure, clear yet rich tone, very accurate and agile, excellent diction and a wide expressive range. Evan Premo makes and ideal partner here, matching what is often an extraordinary purity of sound by accompanying with little or no vibrato yet quickly matching the changes in intensity and drama. Not to say his job is purely accompanying - this is a real duo CD and many of the bass parts (especially the Rebecca Clarke arrangement of 'The Tailor and his Mouse') are impressively virtuosic.
The repertoire has been thoughtfully selected, covering quite a wide range of styles - the compositions by Premo the real highlights, especially the moving 'Seasonal Song Cycle' in four parts. There are also arrangements by Premo, Britten, Clarke and Vaughn Williams, two Bach Inventions and some traditional tunes, most noticeably a glowing rendition of Eden Ahbez's 'Nature Boy', which closes the disc. This is in every way simply a stunning CD - what comes across are two very talented young musicians with a very entertaining, warm and original project, recorded and produced themselves: a highly recommended recording.
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