David Malmberg: The Fortea Project, Volume II
Op Cit Id Records
American guitarist David Malmberg's second volume of material by Spanish guitarist, composer, and music educator Daniel Fortea (1878-1953) might be even more satisfying than the first. As noted in our review of the first set, the Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Malmberg studied with America Martinez Serrano at the Conservatorio De Musica in Sevilla, so it doesn't come as a major surprise to hear him delivering such assured and confident performances on the volumes. As was also earlier mentioned, a through-line from Fortea to Malmberg can be charted as Martinez was a pupil of Fortea's and served as his guitar assistant in Madrid in the mid-‘30s. Prior to that, Fortea founded his own music school in Madrid in 1909 and established the Biblioteca Fortea (aka the Fortea Library). On this latest volume, Malmberg makes an extremely compelling case for himself as both classical guitarist and interpreter whilst also calling attention to Fortea's compositional gifts and the stylistic breadth of his music.
In featuring fifteen pieces, the second volume presents a generous sampling of the composer's world. Malmberg's refined finger-picking technique is front and centre on “Murmullos” and “Estudios Poeticos (Romance),” two of many compact statements by Fortea. Whether animated (“Danza de Gnomos”) or peaceful (“La Paxarina”), the instrumentals play like evocative stories that conjure images of festive clubs, pastoral vistas, and even entire countries (“Argentina”). Elsewhere, there's a heartfelt tribute to Spanish classical guitarist and composer Fernando Sor (“Homenaje a Sor”), a beguiling blend of country-folk and classical (“Sonatina, Op. 20”), and a haunting reflection so forlorn it verges on a lament (“Evocacion, Op. 16”). The tender lyricism of “Meditacion, Op. 24” is particularly disarming, while Malmberg's deft deployment of strums, picking, and harmonics separates “Danza De Munecos” from the others.
Interestingly, the first twelve pieces are all three minutes or less, whereas the final trio (all from Op. 22) are six to seven minutes at a time, almost as if the shorter pieces were designed to set the stage for the longer explorations. The closing trio repeatedly engages, whether it be the entrancing lilt of “Andaluza,” the dramatic intrigue of “Solea,” or the insistent drive of “Granadina.” Regardless of mood or style, all fifteen are expertly executed by Malmberg, who draws upon his decades of experience to make the performances sound effortless. While he doesn't hesitate to draw on his large arsenal of techniques, grandstanding is eschewed for self-effacing expressions that pinpoint the essence of each setting. Malmberg's volumes show him to be a superb interpreter of Fortea's material, but as his earlier Andalusian Sojourn release indicates he's an accomplished composer too. Listeners impressed by Malmberg's playing on the Fortea sets might wish to sample that 2004 collection of solo guitar pieces to gain an even fuller appreciation of his abilities.September 2025