|
CHAMBER MUSIC REVIEW
Manuel Barrueco
November 3, 2006
 Sergio Yazbek (2005)  Arek Barbecki
|
Subtlety, Soul, and a Little Spice By Jason Victor Serinus
In an evening program presented by Stanford Lively Arts at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, guitarist Manuel Barrueco and Cuarteto Latinoamericano
immediately dispelled stereotypes of Latin American music as strong on rhythm and dancelike forms but shallow or clichéd in musical substance. Perhaps due to the acoustic, which tended to smooth over edges, or because the Cuarteto were holding back in a successful attempt to match the volume of Barrueco's subtly amplified guitar, my expectation — raised by two extensive phone interviews with the Cuarteto's first violinist, Saúl Bitrán — that they would put far more emphasis on rhythmic acuity than on sheer beauty of tone, was contradicted by their consistently mellifluous flow of warm, gracefully blended sound.
The program presented the U.S. premiere of Michael Daugherty's three-movement quintet Bay of Pigs. Completed earlier this year in response to a commission by Barrueco, the work is yet another creation from an Iowa-born composer known for his numerous paeans to popular culture. In this case, taking his cue from Barrueco's background as a Cuban émigré, Daugherty echoes the American media's portrayal of the Cuban revolution by presenting what he describes as an "elegy for Cuba, past and present." That dedication implies that modern-day Cuba needs an elegy, a notion that many Cuban citizens would hotly contest.
Be that as it may, Daugherty describes the first movement, "Havana Dreams," as "bittersweet, brooding music for Cuba before the revolution, as remembered by Cuban exiles around the world." On first hearing, it was hard to differentiate the music, which included sharp plucking, slashes, slaps, and screeches amidst the brooding, from a careful albeit enjoyable collection of impressive sound effects.
The second movement, "Water Fall," included ample slapping, strumming, and whirling energy. Daugherty's goal is to evoke the turbulent seas surrounding Cuba, on which would-be refugees continue to flee and numerous battles have been won and lost. As literal (if hardly as subtle) as the water that frequently flows through accompaniments to Schubert's songs, the movement ended on a beautiful and nostalgic note as Barrueco played striking arpeggiated chords over others simultaneously intoned by the quartet.
What Daugherty called the "ominous and angry rhythms" of the final movement, "Anthem," were meant to evoke the revolutionary chanting of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. This conclusion, which included snaps that sounded like gunshots and copious knocking and slashing, impressed far more for its animated conviction than for its expression of anger. A Callas of composition Daugherty is not. Nonetheless, the piece as a whole was certainly engaging.
The concert began with Argentinean composer Carlos Guastavino's "Jeromita Linares" from Las presencias (1965). Guastavino's lovely and romantic music, with its gentle wisps of nostalgia, was meant to serve as a musical portrait of a hardly known, sight-impaired woman from whom the composer bought eggs when a boy. With playing distinguished by the warmth of Alvaro Bitrán's cello and Barrueco's subtle gradations of softness, at least one of the piece's sweet, folksy themes seemed reminiscent of a Stephen Foster tune. The association was due in part to the work's constant melodic repetition, which quickly transformed its winning themes into old friends. "Jeromita Linares" is the kind of endearing piece more suited to closed-eyes enjoyment than mental analysis. The first half of the program closed with a piece dedicated to the quartet, the oft-played — for good reason — Metro Chabacano (1995), by Javier Alvarez. This wonderful, rhythmic dance, which chugs along with nonstop, automated energy, was written to accompany the opening of a major art installation by Marcos Limenes in Mexico City's Metro Chabacano subway station. Given that the installation included an escalator on which dummies constantly revolved, the music must have been a perfect fit. It also seems ideal for the quartet, whose ability to combine deceptively complex rhythmic precision with a euphonic tonal blend generated plenty of smiles.
Barrueco — now in his 50s, and with hair far grayer than the solid black beard and locks pictured in many of his publicity photos — began the second half with La cathedral (1921), by Paraguayan guitarist and composer Augustin Barrios. The piece was inspired by Barrios' visit to the cathedral in Montevideo, and the first movement Preludio was actually added to the work last, when Barrios was visiting Havana. The Andante religioso, whose elegiac music at times seems reminiscent of a funeral processional, flows into a concluding movement marked Allegro solemne. Representing the animation in the streets surrounding the cathedral, it brought forth Barrueco's most virtuosic and impressively fluid playing of the evening. Though an unamplified performance would have been ideal, Barrueco's small amplifier rig enhanced the natural timbre of his guitar, as opposed to distorting it. Puerto Rican-born Roberto Sierra's Triptico (1990) impressed me as the most fascinating, multilayered work on the program. The composer set out to create a piece free of the cliché-ridden, salonlike treatments that both distinguish and plague much of the repertoire for solo guitar. The opening movement, "Tranquilo," had an eerie, nighttime quality, complete with peculiar, insectlike figures. The highly syncopated "Rítmico" was performed with enviable sweetness. The concluding movement, "Fluido," influenced by the folk and popular music of the Caribbean, allowed first violinist Saúl Bitrán to showcase his gorgeous, soaring high register. Several passages featured animated conversation between guitar and quartet, to captivating effect. The last set was devoted to Piazzolla, Piazzolla, and more Piazzolla. One reason the Argentinean composer of Nuevo tango has become so popular of late is his remarkable ability, perhaps inspired by studies of Bach, to transform dance forms into high art. His Tango Sensations (1972) are textbook examples of this skill. The composer originally recorded seven of the movements with a German string orchestra, and then responded to a commission from the Kronos Quartet by rescoring five for bandoneón and string quartet. Barrueco in turn arranged three of the five for guitar and string quartet.
The bandoneón's loss was our gain. "Asleep" was remarkable for its ability to commingle unmistakably profound longing with a sense of something intangible hidden just below the music's surface. The musicians also excelled in capturing the growing, deeply perturbed agitation of "Anxiety." If Piazzolla meant the concluding Sensation, "Fear," to leave the listener in no-person's land, he succeeded; it certainly left me without a clue as to what was going on. Regardless, the performers played it to perfection. On the basis of this quintet's musicality, if the other four Tango Sensations are equally conducive to guitar/quartet arrangement, I'd love to hear them. The concert concluded with César Olguín's arrangements of two of Piazzolla's "angel" pieces from 1962. Milonga del angel highlights the composer's ability to synthesize elements of traditional dance and song forms, in this case the milonga, with classical technique. The work is ineffably beautiful and tinged with sadness. By contrast, the central section of Muerte del angel — which depicts a battle between a villain and the omnipresent "angel" — provided the opportunity for a beautiful, short guitar solo amid music of animated struggle. The audience hardly struggled with its effusive applause. Barrueco and the quartet obliged them with a final Piazzolla work, whose irresistibly vibrant tango rhythms and classic Latin melody inspired deserved cheers. As a showcase for the richness of the Latin American repertoire, as well as the skill of its advocates, the concert succeeded admirably. (Jason Victor Serinus writes about music for San Francisco Classical Voice, Opera News, Stereophile, San Francisco Magazine, East Bay Express, and Bay Area Reporter.)
|
