Zsófia Boros - El Ultimo Aliento

The focus of Zsófia Boros’s third recording for ECM’s New Series is split two-ways, with one spotlight turned towards contemporary compositions from Argentina and the other on the multiple-idioms spanning music of French composer Mathias Duplessy. Fanfare magazine has spoken of the Vienna-based Hungarian guitarist in glowing terms, noting her “clear, beautiful tone, liquid phrasing, precise layering of melody and accompaniment, fluid figuration and her emphatic sense of mood and emotion” – all qualities that are especially apparent on El último aliento.

The album takes its name from the Carlos Moscardini composition which closes the record. Other Argentinian composers interpreted by Boros here are Joaquín Alem, Quique Sinesi and Alberto Ginastera, together making for a vivid repertory that sees the guitarist alternating technique, pace and mood in supple waves. For Sinesi’s “Tormenta de ilusión” Boros switches to the ronroco, a stringed instrument that hails from the Andean regions. By combining the Argentinian music with the expressive pieces by Duplessy, Zsófia Boros creates a suspenseful programme that emphasizes her distinct touch, commitment and wide ranging influences in a quietly compelling manner. The album was recorded at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano and produced by Manfred Eicher.