In 1933 the poet Garcia Lorca wrote about Duende, which was:
“A mysterious force that everyone feels and no philosopher has explained.”

Creativity is obviously of the essence, and is received more than conceived. If music is the highest of the arts, musical composition is often something beyond, even, inspiration. According to Mozart: “The essence of music is melody.”
The classical guitarist, Hassan Czwiertnia has given us his Chapters of Life. What is most evident here is that Hassan plays his own compositions. We hear extraordinarily strong, elegant melodies coupled with dynamic attack seguing into whimsy, and pervasive warmth. There is, of course, that resonant depth of an acoustic guitar. You can lose yourself in this music. From the Prelude, in which melody begins to assert itself, we arrive at For You. Here is a piece that should conquer the world. It is gorgeously romantic with passages of poignancy, and off-the-cuff lyricism in execution. You will walk away humming it after one hearing. Hassan is now in his stride and Intermezzo continues with reflective nuance. Attached here is an example of this deeply satisfying album. We hear echoes of Albeniz and de Falla, and as Hassan says, “a bit of Bach”.