Concert and Recording Reviews

IN CONCERT

“fluent technique…played with all the allure one could ask.” The TIMES of London, England

“LUTE, GUITAR PROGRAM DELIGHTS AUDIENCE…the concert was first rate…exhibiting not only the potential in the guitar and lute, but also the genuine humour available to students of classical music.” Nelson Daily News, Nelson B.C.

“RELAXED ALAN RINEHART MADE GUITAR AND LUTE SING” The Province, Vancouver, B.C.

“LUTE PERFORMANCE DELIGHTFULLY ATTRACTIVE…Rinehart’s technique and understanding were exemplary…the tone and brilliance of his playing made for a very illuminatng experience” The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta

“RINEHART PROVIDES THE GUITAR WITH DESERVED AUTHORITY” Kelowna Capital News, Kelowna, B.C.

“ALAN RINEHART PLUCKS HEARTSTRINGS” Simon Fraser University

“GUITARIST A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW…Alan Rinehart was the guest soloist for the evening and on his own he was enthralling” The Kimberley Daily Bulletin

“His approach had about it a sensitive and seductive delicacy.” The Province, Vancouver B.C.

“A flexible technique, attractive sound, and disarming manner as accompanist and soloist” CBC Broadcast review

“The playing was consistently clean and musical with a good regard for sound, and he has a pleasantly relaxed manner which won over the audience right from the word go.” GUITAR INTERNATIONAL magazine, London, England, (London Debut, The Purcell Room)

“To all this Mr. Rinehart brought a sensitive awareness of the needs of the music, shaping his phrases with care … playing it (the Ponce) with considerable charm and character.” CLASSICAL GUITAR magazine, London, England

“Mr. Rinehart’s technique on the guitar was secure, his interpretation sensitive, and his tone excellent, He also possesses one of the most pleasant stage personalities I have come across”. GUITAR magazine, London, England

with flautist Jane Martin

“The concert by Jane Martin and Alan Rinehart was admirable in its presentation…the combination worked wonderfully well” SOUNDBOARD magazine

ON RECORDINGS

Renaissance Masters and Latin Romantics:

“Rinehart impresses the listener for his skill, ease and virtuosity on the guitar, from which he draws tones of plush loveliness and a wide range of colour .., a record that should give its purchaser lasting pleasure.” FANFARE magazine

“Rinehart’s amber tone is beautiful in its own right, and his approach to the pieces is deeply serious.., a versatile and talented player.” CLASSICAL GUITAR magazine, London

“… a great deal of control and excitement. Rinehart produces a good, even sound -pleasant to hear.” GUITARRA magazine, Chicago, Ill.

“There’s a live sense to this recording that makes the listener feel as though a part of the concert audience, intimately involved with Rinehart’s skillful and sensitive interpretations.” GUITAR PLAYER magazine

“… great understanding… carefully chosen and liltingly played: RECOMMENDED.” GUITAR AND LUTE magazine, Hawaii

“… an agreeable introduction to the work of this gifted Canadian artist, The playing is clean, direct, and elegant and there is every indication of a keen musical sensibility at work.” The Vancouver Sun

Musical Banquet:        

“Guitarist Alan Rinehart groups his program into what he calls a musical banquet with works by Pujol, Duarte, Holborne, Albeniz, Machado and Ross arranged into appetizers, antipasto, chef’s specials and dessert. The idea may sound contrived, but the first time I listened to the album I was making dinner and, though he probably wouldn’t care to hear this, it was perfect background music. There is something gustatory about the sound of the classical guitar-or there certainly is the way he plays it, with pure tone, technical facility and style.  Playing it again but paying more attention, I liked it just as much. The chef’s specials are definitely Duarte’s appealing modern tribute to the Renaissance’s John Dowland and Pujol’s harmonically sensuous Preludes in tango style. At 57 minutes, Musical Banquet is short but delicious.” **** Lloyd Dykk, The Vancouver Sun, November 11, 2000

“A sober, elegant, controlled performance, with a nice phrasing and a consistent technique. Everything is clear and it leaves nothing to desire.” Angelo Gilardino, Composer and Editor, The Artistic Director of the “Andrés Segovia” Foundation of Spain

The Golden Century:

“Rinehart’s guitar playing is absolutely first rate and the pieces themselves are enjoyable to listen to, all of the things that make a great classical guitar album great.”  ***** (5 stars out of five) REVIEWYOU.COM

“Alan Rinehart’s The Golden Century: Lute Music From 16th Century Italy is transformative. It’s the sort of performance that can change your musical perspective, opening your mind up to new sounds and styles you may never have otherwise considered. Rinehart’s work is a thing of beauty.”  ***** (5 stars out of five) REVIEWYOU.COM

Soliloquies and Dreams:

“Mr. Rinehart is a bold player. He has a wide range of color and dynamics, uses considerable rubato in his interpretations, and seems to have a solid technical command. I enjoy his Paganini (the slow movement of the Grand Sonata with some added ornamentation that fit the virtuoso’s music quite well), his Ponce is delightful, the Smith-Brindle is played convincingly. The other works, by Casseus, Duke, Pujol, Myers, and Cardoso are lovely. He certainly evokes a personal atmosphere, I was never bored. ” Keaton, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

Spanish Recital:

“This a most pleasing and highly satisfying guitar recital performed by the very talented and critically acclaimed guitarist Alan Rinehart, do not hesitate to acquire this CD for some of the most technically accomplished and emotionally expressive guitar playing you have ever heard. Every one of the pieces on this disc basks in its own beauty and grace, but be prepared to have your breath taken away when you hear Rinehart play Tarrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra.” Jerry Dubins for FANFARE magazine

Verdi’s Guitar:

“Rinehart’s playing is crisp, confident, and passionate throughout—on the exciting runs and flourishes midway through Ernani, on the martial-sounding cadences in Nabucco, on the moving, elegiac passages near the end of Il Vesperi, etc. The results are spectacular!

What a treat! I would think that people who actually know these operas would really enjoy this, and that for advanced players, any one of these pieces would be highly entertaining for a concert audience. Highly recommended!” Blair Jackson Classical Guitar Magazine Fall 2017

“Mertz’s Verdi fantasies are even more impressive, considering Verdi’s mid-19th century status as a leading composer of dramatic opera. Mertz retains Verdi’s drama and flair, but also adds an element of intimacy by distilling the operas down to minimal voices in the solo guitar.

Rinehart navigates both of these qualities in his historically-informed performances. His interpretations embrace the free lyricism afforded to a solo piece, resulting in new perspectives on Verdi’s masterpieces.

For those who enjoy romantic, classical guitar pieces then this will be right up your street.”

http://www.reviewgraveyard.com/00_revs/r2017/music/17-10-13_verdis-guitar.html

“Without knowing the originals, one can certainly enjoy the melodies and Mertz’s development of the melody and harmony, and also enjoy the way he spins the music for guitar as he expands the arias or ensembles.” Keaton, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

Dreams Laid Down:

“Whether doing miniatures or suites, the touch and texture of Rinehart’s playing is a masterful joy to behold.” Midwest Record Blog

Sylvius Leopold Weiss:

WEISS: Baroque Lute Works

Canadian guitarist Alan Rinehart undertakes this recording not just as a guitarist playing the music of a related fretted instrument, but as a performer who has actually studied the lute as part of his training in London. This recording presents a variety of selections from Weiss’s London and more recently-discovered Moscow manuscripts; and Rinehart knows this music very well, having published the Moscow manuscript through Editions Orphee under the watchful, ever-critical eye of the late publisher and guitar historian, Matanya Ophee. Weiss’s Partita in A minor demonstrates often brilliant playing. The last movement is amusingly listed on the jacket as a `Polonoise’—not a misprint, nor a variant of the word I have ever encountered! Rinehart’s playing is generally clean and maturely reserved, and has a conservative approach to ornamentation. Recorded sound is pleasantly realistic,capturing the rich timbre of Rinehart’s experienced technique on his instrument.

One can get a good sense of Weiss’s music from this.

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE – MCCUTCHEON

Delivering a compelling incarnation of S.L. Weiss’ compositional skill and wit, Alan Rinehart’s rendition of “Passacaille” is nothing short of captivating.  Rinehart’s playing is precise and passionate as he interprets the Baroque lutenist’s “Passacaille” into an immersive and emotionally resonant contemporary performance – capturing the piece’s subtle complexity in strikingly rich detail! The clarity and quality of recording here is impeccable – conveying a fullness of tone and timbre that should mesmerize discerning listeners. 

RADIO AIRPLAY