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Review - DUO

Eye on Arts The Canadian Jewish News

Guitar - Flute Duo Releases New CD
By Bill Gladstone

Ivan Zilman, a Montreal-born composer-guitarist who teaches privately in the Beach area of Toronto, has just released a CD of flute and guitar with his musical partner, Margot Rydall, a teacher at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music.

Together known as DUO, Zilman and Rydall play a refreshing mix of classical and contemporary jazz. Judging by the selections on this CD, their taste in music is as impeccable as their playing. DUO treats listeners to well-chosen pieces by Frescobaldi, Debussy, Ravel, Bartok as well as Richard Rogers and jazz composers Thelonious Monk and Billy Strayhorn.

The pair also deliver a poignant arrangement of John Williams' theme from Schindler's List. After seeing the film, Rydall was "profoundly affected by it and felt she wanted to do something musical to stand as a memorial or tribute", Zilman says. At Rydall's urging, he composed the arrangement for flute and guitar, which hadn't existed previously.

With this CD, Zilman and Rydall aptly demonstrate that all one needs is a high level of musicianship to set a lovely musical mood. Platoons of strings, horns and percussionists, or a magic bag of studio tricks, aren't required. DUO's CD is available in record stores in and around Toronto.
May 14, 1998

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