Spring is a time of new beginnings, awakening and tender first encounters. With every ray of sunshine that warms the earth and every tender green that fights its way through the soil, our longing for lightness, creativity and sound also grows. Fingerstyle on the ukulele offers just that - a versatile way to capture spring musically and make the magic of this season tangible. The ukulele becomes a companion that tells stories withgentle melodies - stories of April showers gently pattering on the leaves and the magic of flowers wafting through the air like a delicate fragrance.
With his five-movement ukulele suite, Lambert Spix presents an impressive work that meets high standards both technically and musically. The suite offers a stylistic variety ranging from romantic sounds and dance-like waltz rhythms to playfully swinging elements. This varied composition is a pleasure for the ears and fingers alike.
Each of the five movements has an independent character, which makes the suite extremely lively. The romantic opening seduces with warm chords and melodic arcs, while the movement “Bird Song” begins with a technically demanding “twittering”, but ultimately conveys lightness. “Flower Magic” brings with it a good portion of ‘shuffle charm’ and challenges the player's rhythmic sensitivity.
The suite covers various levels of difficulty between 4 and 6 on the British scale and is therefore aimed at both advanced players and professionals. In my opinion, Lambert Spix has deliberately set technical priorities that are ideal for practicing and refining important playing techniques, such as “touch patterns”, “playing in high registers” and “pull-off techniques” such as pull-offs and hammer-ons.
With this suite, Lambert Spix has once again expanded the repertoire of the classical ukulele in a worthy manner, giving the instrument a serious classical repertoire piece by piece.
Ekkehard Prepens