San Francisco Classical Voice

In competitions, I suspect, everyone in the audience becomes a jury of one, anxious to see how personal impressions will match those of the actual jury. Each performer played for about 40 minutes, beginning with Lydia Danihelova from the Slovak Republic. Her program was nicely balanced, including works from the 19th century (Giuliani) and the 20th (Henze). Her playing was lyrical and clean, but perhaps a bit too introspective for a major competition, as demonstrated by the slight hesitation at the beginning of Giuliani's Rossiniane No. 5. Henze's Drei Tentos was the highlight of her presentation.

The second contestant was Alieksey Vianna of Brazil. His playing was bold and he was able to produce a bigger sound than had Danihelova. The contrast was particularly noticeable in Henze's Drei Tentos, which he had also selected to perform. The last of the three was particularly effective. Vianna saved his boldest statement for last with his reading of Alberto Ginastera's Sonata, op.47. Not all the special effects jelled in the Scherzo, but the Finale left a strong impression. The biggest weakness of Vianna's presentation was his choice of programming. All of his selections were of similar style.

Xufei Yang from China played third, making an effective entrance wearing a full, blue gown. Her playing displayed a good balance of technique and musicality, and I suspect we will hear more of her in the future. She opened with the transcription of a piece of Chinese traditional music that contained numerous tremolo effects and displayed considerable dynamic control. This was followed by Joaquin Rodrigo's Invocation and Dance, a great favorite at guitar competitions, because of its broad range of guitaristic effects. Walton's Five Bagatelles were also nicely played, although the first was a bit rushed.

The final performer was Cuban guitarist Marco Tamayo, who opened with a very romantic interpretation of a Bach Prelude and Fugue (BWV 999/1000). The performance was marked by several unnecessary embellishments and one serious memory lapse. He followed with a transcription of Paganini's famous “Capricho 24,” a bold and courageous piece of programming. While it didn't all work, it left no doubt that Tamayo has remarkable technique. In a second example of double-programming, Tamayo closed with the closing movement of the Ginastera Sonata. He projected it with fire, but with less control than Vianna.

From these four performers, with four distinct musical personalities, the judges made their decision. The choice may not have been an easy one, for many of us were held waiting for our suppers. In the end, Alieksey Vianna was selected as the winner. Xufei Yang placed second, Lydia Danihelova third, and Marco Tamayo fourth. The sponsors of the San Francisco Guitar Competition deserve congratulations for a well-run event.