San Francisco Classical Voice

RECITAL REVIEW

Sweet Sounds

May 7, 2005

Manuel Barrueco

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By Peter Danner

Manuel Barrueco is able to coax a beautiful tone from a guitar. This fact was made abundantly clear Saturday night during his latest San Francisco appearance. In a program consisting mainly of his own arrangements, the Cuban-born guitarist displayed sound musicianship and a solid technique before an enthusiastic audience in Herbst Theatre. While not a particularly ambitious program by modern standards, it contained enough variety and musical substance to sustain interest.

The first half of the concert contrasted works by two baroque composers, Scarlatti and Weiss, with three Spanish-flavored dances by Enrique Granados, all adaptations attributed to the performer. More than simply material with which to warm up the fingers, two keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti were demanding pieces that required considerable agility. Barrueco performed them flawlessly.

Almost an exact contemporary of Bach, Silvius Leopold Weiss is a composer whose name would be better known today had he chosen to devote himself to an instrument other than the soon-to-become-obsolete lute. Barrueco selected one of his shorter and less-complex suites (No. 7 in the so-called London Manuscript). Of the six dances that make up this suite, the opening Allemande was particularly praiseworthy, with a warm, clear sound and a fine sense of ornamentation. The concluding Gigue was a further example of Barrueco's digital dexterity.

Wise selection

The guitarist closed the first half with three of Granados' 12 Spanish Dances (op. 37). Electing not to play the overworked No. 5, he rather chose three other dances from this delightful set originally intended for piano. Especially enjoyable was No. 1 (more a bolero than the spurious title "Minueto" it picked up somewhere would imply). These three contrasted well with one another to form an enjoyable and attractive triptych.

The single work originally written for the guitar was William Walton's Five Bagatelles, with which Barrueco followed intermission. There was perhaps too much of the "sweet-sounding guitar" on display here. The nervous energy of the opening Allegro would have been better served by a bit of tonal contrast, including a judicious use of ponticello. Much else in the Walton sounded too monochromatic. On the other hand, I have never heard a nicer performance of "Alla Cubana."

The rest of the program was a rather mixed bag. Chick Corea's Sometime Ago is a rambling concoction that contrasts Latin rhythms with a brooding monophonic opening and closing. It fared well in Barrueco's hands due to his ability to shape a phrase and to make his guitar sing. This same somewhat amorphous mood was continued in two of Astor Piazzolla's Four Seasons, sensual works that again benefited from Barrueco's warm, relaxed reading. Although these pieces ended the recital on a more muted tone than is usual, any subdued spirits were soon revived by two lively and well-deserved encores.