Appassionato

Bill Binkelman at Wind and Wire writes, "Appearances can be deceiving, so the saying goes. Such is the case with Peter Xifaras's CD, Appassionato. What might appear on the surface to be another nuevo flamenco or acoustic guitar release is instead a multi-hued, richly textured release, full of imagination and excellent musicianship. Using both keyboards and guitar, Peter mixes things up by composing music that touches on everything from the aforementioned nuevo flamenco to neo-classical to ambient. Appassionato is concerned with projecting fragile beauty and a rich warm romanticism. After the first few bars of nuevo flamenco strumming on the first cut, "Dreamscapes", I was captivated by Peter's use of synths and rhythms. The music is original and quite beautiful. Appassionato is one of the stronger debuts I've heard this year. Its strengths, diversity, complexity, superb musicianship and the sheer beauty of the music on the disc make it a very solid bet for both guitar fans and also fans of the kind of music that used to thrive on Narada in the days of Buffett, Arkenstone, and others. It's daring and original without being pretentious or pointlessly avant gard . Highly recommended!"