The Arizona Daily StarqqqqFriday, January 29th 1999qqqqqqVol.158 No.29

Fractal Reflections, Brad Richter. Harmon Records

One way of promoting your instrument is to perform works you’ve composed for it. Brad Richter, a rising classical guitarist who recently moved to Arizona from Chicago, does this admirably on Fractal Reflections.

Richter (b.1969), who plays regularly throughout the US and Europe, has appeared on several CDs. This recording, released in 1997, is the Oklahoma native’s first compilation of solo music.

The CD takes its name from "Simple Fractal Reminders", a visual art piece; Richter says the compositions’ are fractal in the sense that material on a micro level resembles that on a macro level.

Richter achieves the CD’s stated goal to sound unmistakably American yet possess a sophisticated polish characteristic of European art music.

The compositions make appealing use of rasgueados, strumming characteristic of flamenco music. There are also more unusual percussive devices. In the middle of the title track, for instance, Richter strikes four fast 16th notes underneath the guitar’s neck, creating a castanets-like sound. A similar thing happens in Elation, one of Eight Preludes.

Many selections were inspired by Richter’s experiences: a return home to Oklahoma at harvest (The Harvest) and the time a late cousin introduced him to the guitar (When the Caged Bird Sings). (Remarkably Richter was self-taught until he undertook formal training in 1989).

Caged bird..., featuring Jennifer Hambrick on flute, sounds not the least bit elegiac. The sprawling, almost Baroque melody for flute conjures up images of happy children running across endless prairies.

Eight Preludes successfully evokes a wide range of emotions; these include Desire, Anger and Elation. The Preludes were once called Etudes, and future guitarists could turn to them to improve their technique, so focused on challenging technical problems is some of their content.

Richter and Arturo Guzman, another guitarist, make a dynamic team in Artemis and Apollo, Zeus’ two rival siblings who get along quite well in this situation.

Ken Keuffel