I can't say that I'm usually much of a fan of the music of Dutch pianist Laurens Van Rooyen. Most of his albums, with the use of synthesizers and other electronic enhancements, seem to inhabit a nebulous area between old-fashioned easy listening and new age, without having much depth or character.
But Van Rooyen's 1987 album Concierto, a collection of pop versions of Latin classics, is enlivened by the presence of Belgian guitarist Francis Goya, who has also enhanced albums by similarly-styled pianists Richard Clayderman (France) and Richard Abel (Canada). Goya and Van Rooyen seem to bring out the best in each other as you can hear in the sample below, taken from a cassette version of the album.
La Comparsa
Concierto, which was issued on CD, vinyl and cassette, has long been out of print. It is, however, easily obtainable as a download.
Both Van Rooyen and Goya have an extensive collection of their back catalogues available as downloads. Only a few albums from each can be purchased on CD.
Here's Francis Goya performing Nostalgia, the tune that was a big hit for him in Europe in 1975 and launched his solo career. The video, uploaded to YouTube by the Francis Goya Foundation in 2012, appears to have been taken from a recent performance, although no date or venue is given.
“ The aim of the Francis Goya Foundation is to help young children and teenagers from “problem” regions and families worldwide by giving them access to art and music workshops and classes. ”
