- Tuesday, October 12th 2004 - Mr. Lucarelli's concert at Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona, was a delightful mix of works by Spanish and South American composers in the first half and original works in the second half. Mr. Lucarelli's sensitive and articulate phrasing with the works of Barrios, Villa Lobos, and Morel consistently beguiled the ear. The original compositions premiered at this concert were received enthusiastically by the audience with a standing ovation.



Beyond his technical virtuosity, Mr. Lucarelli has retained a genuine musicality that always seems to enrapture his audience.



The Tucson Guitar Society will continue to welcome opportunies to sponsor Michael Lucarelli for future classical guitar concerts.



Karen Comstock

President

London, England - Tuesday, October 12th 2004 - This programme of music form South America commences with a delectable set of four pieces from Garoto (Annibal Augusto Sardinha) ably performed by Michael Lucarelli. He gets to the soul of this music and gives a fine interpretation, whetting the appetite for the rest of the programme. Especially enjoyable is the third movement from which the title of this CD is taken.

Thoughtful phrasing and nice tone colouring is given to the Astor Piazzolla classic, Verano Porteno, and the first of the two Barrios works, Julia Florida. La Catedral is granted just about the right amount of solemnity where required and, for me, the tempo of the final section is spot on- no flashy, over-the-top finger-work for the sake of speed, but more thought given to the music.



Lucarelli handles the deceptively tricky Jorge Morel composition well enough, giving a performance equal to the best of them.



It doesn’t state in the sleeve-notes whether or not this is this player’s first recording or not but if it is Michael Lucarelli has chosen his programme well, including among the well known works a few lesser known ones (the Garoto set) and, to me, a completely unheard of work, the study by Carlos Alberto Fonseca. The rather ‘clinical’ title, Etude No. 2 hides a beautiful work of romanticism on a par with anything else in that vein on this recording. It makes one want to hear any other studies by this composer.



The two paired Villa-Lobos compositions work very well together, the sadness of the final part of the prelude being contrasted with the exuberance of one of this composer’s most tuneful works for solo guitar, the Gavota Choro.



The Campo from Carlevaro’s magnificent five preludes concludes a fine, well performed, thoughtful programme from a very engaging player.



Steve Marsh

- Tuesday, October 12th 2004 - Audiences and Society Members alike were enthralled by the performance of Michael Lucarelli. The praise centered not only on his playing but also that he offered something totally different in classical guitar music.



His original compositions were especially well received and left a lasting impression. We are looking forward to hearing more of Mr. Lucarelli's music.

Sincerely,



Harry Wray

Salt Lake City - Tuesday, October 12th 2004 - By Bob Cantonwine



In his sixth album Salt Lake City resident and classical guitarist Michael Lucararelli has recorded instrumental versions of fourteen of the world's most beautiful and finely crafted songs. Songs that are especially dear to those of us who grows up in the 60's when the Beatles made their presence known to a universe in need of the message and music style they delivered. We embraced them(the fab four and their songs) for an unprecedented couple of decades and watched as their music seemed to die. But it could never die. These songs...this music...is timeless and will be listened to decades and even centuries from now just as the classics from past centuries continue to thrill us today.



It was the individual gifts of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and occasionally Star that brought a collective surprise to us. Now , Lucarelli uses his individual interpretive gift to please us further with the same songs in a way and a genre that is pleasantly unexpected. Certainly, the guitar's range and flexibility as well as the performer's skill are expertly displayed on this recording. Even the funky Come Together maintains an even, smooth flow consistent with other tunes like The long and Winding Road and Yesterday. The theme of this record could easily be "relax, be peaceful and remember."



From the ramanticism of Something and Michelle to the rousing From Me to You ans She Loves You to the steady slow tempo of While my Guitar Gently Weeps this is a gem of a recording. On the last track , Hey Jude brings its own set of surprises. Where the na na na's would be vocally, Michael show's why Daniel Buckley wrote, "In his playing, tone and attack, color and heart are precisely weighed, balanced and applied. He brings skill, taste and passion to a carefully selected flowing recital disk that invites repeated listening. I agree with Dan.

- Tuesday, October 12th 2004 - Dear Michael,



I, along with 300 others, thoroughly enjoyed your delightful recital last Friday night. Each and every number was in consummate good taste and beautifully performed.



The acoustic guitar seldom lifts its voice above its electronic cousins, yet in your hands its sweet, haunting tone penetrates both the ears and the spirit. I stood at the back of the hall for a few minute, and the volume of sound was more than ample, even in the softest passages.



We of the Temple Square Concert Series Committee thank you and hope you will play for us again. The large, Enthusiastic crowd testifies that you have a loyal following in Salt Lake City.



Sincerely,





Temple Square Concert Series