The guitar ensembles from the Lamont School of Music performed a wide spectrum of music for the guitar last Tuesday in the Newman Center for Performing Arts.
The program featured a variety of compositions from different eras. The majority was for the guitar in different sized groups but two featured a flute and one featured a mezzo-soprano.
One of the highlights of the night was Bajo la Palmera, a composition by Isaac AlbCB)niz performed by Travis Chastain and Jonathon Barlow. The performers used strumming instead of plucking and the effect was very lyrical. Chastian and Barlow used different dynamics well to break the piece up and give it a very intriguing texture and evoke different moods.
One of the other selections was Two Spanish Folksongs: Nana and Cancion written by Manuel de Falla which featured Kellie Schumacher a mezzo-soprano and Sebastian Pacheco on guitar. The two melodies were completely different in tempo and mood. The first was a sweet, simple song. The tone was soft and the music glided along. The combination of the guitar and voice was perfect and they complimented each other. The second song was light and jumpy. The plucking kept the tempo upbeat and moving.
The most expansive composition from L’Histoire du Tango was written by Astor Piazzolla and performed by Duston Stout on guitar and Sarah Peterson on flute. The composition had three movements. The first movement titled Bordel 1900 was light and happy, highlighted by the plucking of the guitar strings. The movement rolled along at a nice pace. There was a call and answer section between the flute and the guitar. This movement also incorporated banging on the guitar, which showed all the way to utilize a guitar.
The second movement, titled CafCB) 1930, was very somber and reflective in contrast. The music was languid as Stout pressed down on the string and moved his finge. This caused the note to linger. The music brought to mind music at an outdoor cafe at dusk.
The third movement, titled Nightclub 1960, was best described as offbeat. The music fluctuated with high notes and all of a sudden drops off low notes. The flute played in short blasts. The music used strumming and plucking to evoke different moods. The movement end on a high note after many swells and ebbs.
The composition with the most players was titled “The Rose Garden,” written by Gilbert Biberian. The composition had eight players and was conducted by Jonathon Leathwood, one of the directors of the program. The composition was inspired by a Sufi text. The piece had interesting dynamics. The theme was played by different guitarists and bounced around the group. The composition used both plucking and strumming. The composition also featured a funny tone that sounded muted.
The concert also featured compositions by Ferdinando Carulli, Radamas Gnattali and Ricardo Iznaola. The program was directed by Leathwood and Masakazu Ito.
