La Semana

Ottmar Liebert brings to bear a number of traditions on this recording, most notably the time-honored music of Spain. Drawing heavily from flamenco, Liebert creates a body of music that is at once forward-looking yet deeply rooted in the Spanish heritage. La Semana is made up of many elegant compositions and all of them feature the guitar. "Cocteau" is a brooding modal work that invokes the ethos of Spain the best. A pair of guitars dominates this mix; one guitar plays a passionate and dissonant melody while the other coolly provides a static harmony. Overall, the two guitars create wonderful tension and release as Liebert's composition gently unfolds. Another tune, "Echoes of a Caress" combines Flamenco with an overtly synthetic keyboard trumpet and percussion section.