Declan Zapala - Awakenings (2015)

My colleague Ed Vulliamy wrote a persuasive opinion piece in the Observer last week on the need to break down barriers in music; to end the pointless divisions between “pop” and “classical” (note the labels on this page… ). Young British guitarist Declan Zapala is doing just that, in appearances around the country and on this debut disc, mixing short new compositions of his own and others with Bach preludes and a suite by the Italian guitarist Carlo Domeniconi. Most of it is attractive and innovative, his own compositions particularly exploring the percussive qualities of the instrument, but the Bach is a disappointment: uninspired and workaday.