This competition is now closed.

DVD review

• RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
• Live in Japan
• Rubyworks
• 

Rodrigo y Gabriela's Mexican roots are everywhere on this live five-track DVD, a bonus accompanying a live CD, both recorded during their Tokyo debut last March. Gabriela's feminine fretwork lithe-fingered and elastic is the perfect foil for Rodrigo's equally intricate but more muscular chord structures. Viking Man underscores the duo's phenomenal evolution over the past few years, their ping-pong engagement with the audience in sharp contrast to their younger selves, hidden deep behind the shields of their guitars. Canny camera closeups deliver dramatic backdrops, adding to the sheer blistering brilliance of this pair, and the choice of 5:1 surround sound adds further to the buzz of their live performance. www.rubyworks.com

SIOBHÁN LONG