Richter, Brad / American Landscapes For Guitar
Album: American Landscapes For Guitar   Collection:General
Artist:Richter, Brad   Added:Oct 2011
Label:Blue Griffin Recordings  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2012-02-25 Pull Date: 2012-04-28
Week Ending: Apr 29 Apr 1 Mar 25 Mar 4
Airplays: 1 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Oct 26, 2024: Music Casserole
Fragments Transcending: Circles
4. Mar 29, 2012: Maximum Misanthropy
River Songs: Storm Chaser
2. Nov 10, 2017: Traditions
River Songs: Storm Chaser
5. Mar 21, 2012: Maximum Entropy
Fragments Transcending: Circles, Fragments Transcending: Facing East
3. Apr 27, 2012: The Songsmith Show
River Songs: Confluence
6. Feb 27, 2012: Ghost Trees
River Songs: Storm Chaser

Album Reviews
Be Sharp
Reviewed 2012-02-20
Brad Richter is an American-born Classical and Spanish style guitarist. Here is an album of Richter’s own compositions, all inspired by the landscapes of the American West. His technique is outstanding, and the playing is terrific throughout. The compositions may have their ups and downs. All solo guitar (save for #10 & 11 which include a guest cellist).

All instrumental. No FCC issues.

1-2. Two part suite, named for a forest in northern Germany.
1 ** “Light.” Fast Spanish fingerstyle. Some rapping on the guitar. Bright sound, lots of treble. (2:45)
2 “Shadow.” Slow. Harp like arpeggios in a minor key. (2:42)

3 *** Mid-tempo. Classical guitar with a slight Latin touch, like a Villa-Lobos piece. Liner notes say it’s meant to evoke some of the tunes in “West Side Story.” (3:28)

4-9. A suite of tone-poem impressions inspired by the Colorado River region. Pieces can stand alone.
4 Starts almost imperceptivity quiet, grows to load and energetic, then fades out. (2:51)
5 *** Mid-tempo. Richly textured with a variety of strumming & picking techniques. Harmonic overtones. One of the better compositions here and a very strong performance. (3:14)
6 Mid-tempo. Very mellow, impressionistic, improvisational. New Age feeling. (2:59)
7 Slow to mid-tempo, but with fast runs. Showy piece but not especially moving. Lacks unity. (3:57)
8 ** Mid-tempo. A Debussy-like Impressionistic fantasy. (3:37)
9 *** Between Classical & folk. Super fingerstyle play. Like something John Fahey might do. (3:38)

Classical-sounding duets with guitar and cello.
10 *** Slow. Cello leads with beautiful melody; guitar accompanies almost as a piano would. (3:18)
11 *** Faster. A more “modern” Classical piece. A bit jagged, dissonant & syncopated. (3:29)

A pair of movements from some larger work (with no further explanation in the notes)
12 ** Fast. Hard, driving thumb-thumping on bass strings. Syncopated melody on treble strings. (2:20)
13 Starts slow, becomes faster. Full of harp-like arpeggios. Sort of dreamy and New Age. (4:19)

Eight short impressions. These seem unrelated and each can stand alone.
14 Medium fast. Bright, happy sound. Steady, churning rhythm. (1:31)
15 Slower. Heavy, ponderous rhythm. With some high note accents. (1:19)
16 * A pretty little waltz. Played almost as if guitar is a piano. (1:34)
17 Thumping on guitar body might be distant thunder. Harmonic overtones might be raindrops. (1:45)
18 Mid-tempo. A somewhat aimless and repetitive improvisation. (1:06)
19 Slow. Harsh and somewhat atonal. Almost interesting but so short. (1:06)
20 Mid-tempo. Around and around and around it goes. (1:29)
21 ** Mid-tempo. A bright, fun sound. A bit of a calypso beat. Some humorous effects. (2:25)
 
Srikanth Srinivasa
Reviewed 2011-12-27
Brad Richter has done a wonderful job in this album

1 - Licht - Energetic - starts with a high speed note and slows down
2 -Schatteb - Calm - slow paced rendering
3 Celebration day - (at 2.10 sec looks like a pause - no sound) - but ends well
4 - Snowmelt - like a bell curve - relaxed beats but picks up speed in the end
5 - Confluence - very pleasant
6 - Leaving MArble - Calm and quiet
7 - Lava Falls - Medium - very energetic and brings up the positive mood
8 - Ebb and Flow - pleasant
9 - Storm Chaser - AS title suggests chases well and picks momentum in the end

Guest Artist Cello starts here

10 - Facing East - - melacnoly note
11 - circles - Deep in emotions - starts slow but pick up momentum

Back to Brad Richter

14 - 21 - different than 1 - 9 totally tries variety of notes

Overall - liked all of them - hard to pick just a couple

Track Listing
1. Straelener Wald: Licht   12. Navigating Lake Bonneville: City Song
2. Straelener Wald: Schatten   13. Navigating Lake Bonneville: Pah
3. Celebration Day   14. Eight Impressions: Locomotive
4. River Songs: Snowmelt   15. Eight Impressions: Forest At Dusk
5. River Songs: Confluence   16. Eight Impressions: Mustang
6. River Songs: Leaving Marble Canyon   17. Eight Impressions: Distant Storm
7. River Songs: Lava Falls   18. Eight Impressions: Lost Miner
8. River Songs: Ebb And Flow   19. Eight Impressions: Mockingbird
9. River Songs: Storm Chaser   20. Eight Impressions: Water Wheel
10. Fragments Transcending: Facing East   21. Eight Impressions: Smiling Cowboy
11. Fragments Transcending: Circles   .