MacNaughton’s first self-produced album is an intimate, poetic journey. Guitarias includes compositions for voice and guitar (hence the name: guitar/arias) all performed by the singer accompanying himself: John Beckwith’s Beckett Songs (three songs to poems of Samuel Beckett), Leslie Uyeda’s Flower Arranger (a single song to a poem of Joy Kogawa), and William Beauvais’ The Truth of Matter (four songs to poems of Linda Hogan), which were all commissioned by Doug MacNaughton. Guitarias also features John Rutter’s Shadows (eight songs to various poets of the 16th and 17th centuries), which were published in 1997. This is MacNaughton’s fourth recording as a singer, but marks his debut recording as a guitarist. « I am fascinated by the artistic effect of playing and singing at the same time », explains MacNaughton. « The guitar’s portability makes it possible to perform in intimate and unusual acoustics. There’s a deeper connection between the voice part and the accompaniment, because the singer is the accompanist. » For this recording project, Doug teamed up with sound engineer Paul Hodge and producer Sung Chung. « We considered recording the voice and guitar separately », he adds, « but in the end, we decided to record both together at the same time in the welcoming, resonant acoustic of St. George the Martyr Church.

About Doug MacNaughton
A multitalented artist, Doug began playing guitar when he was 13 years old; at the time, he dreamed of becoming the next Steve Howe, or Robert Fripp, or John McLaughlin. His life took an interesting turn when he went to university and discovered singing. The rest is… history! For almost 30 years, Doug has enjoyed a successful career as a classical singer, becoming a renowned figure from the music scene in Canada. « MacNaughton used his attractive voice to embrace all of the nuances of the libretto… he is a great singing actor », wrote Opera Canada. He performs regularly with the country’s major opera companies, such as the Canadian Opera Company, Pacific Opera Victoria and Edmonton Opera, to only name a few. A versatile performer, Doug is also well known for having played Enjolras in the Canadian company of Les Misérables, and Miguel Cervantes/Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha for the Stirling Festival Theatre. His concert repertoire includes solos in Messiah, Carmina Burana, Frankenstein and The Dangerous Kitchen (a Frank Zappa tribute produced by ACREQ). For more information, please visit http://dougmacnaughton.com.

TRACK LIST:

1. – 3. . Beckett Songs
John Beckwith

4. Flower Arrangers
Leslie Uyeda

5. – 8. The Truth of Matter
William Beauvais

9. – 16. Shadows
John Rutter

REVIEWS

 » Brilliant work, and everything a recording should be. » – Brian Hay, No Lights, No Rules,Sunday February 9, 2014 (http://norules-nolights.com/guitarias.html)

« MacNaughton’s warm, lush voice lets the words soar and his probing intelligence communicates every nuance of the text. A song like this makes the world a better place. » –
William Beauvais, wilbeau Feb. 1, 2014 (http://wilbeau.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/gentleness-in-the-air/)

« Doug has a beautiful way with his voice in this album. » – Jenna Douglas, Schmopera Feb. 12, 2014 (http://schmopera.com/album-review-guitarias/)

« …an impressive solo release from a multi-talented artist. » – David Olds, The WholeNote, March 1, 2014 (http://www.thewholenote.com/)

« Doug MacNaughton is a composer’s dream come true. » – John Beckwith

« I am thrilled with Doug’s performance of ‘Flower Arranger’. » – Leslie Uyeda