LAGQ Live (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) (2006)
Performers: Andrew York, John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant
Program: Quiccan; BACH: Prelude, Fugue & Allegro; TCHAIKOVSKY: Nutcracker Suite selections; Gongan, Djembe, DAVIES: Farewell to Stromness; La Fiesta de la Tirana/Tarantella; Icarus; Letter from Home, Blue Echo/Country Gentleman; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2; B&B; Pachelbel’s Loose Canon
Studio: Mel Bay Publications MB21047DVD
Video: 16:9 color
Audio: PCM stereo
No region coding
Length: 97 minutes
Rating: *****
This is a fine video of an entire live concert by the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, taped at Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis in 2005. The top guitar quartet records now for Telarc and consists of four world-class guitarists. They have toured the world frequently and their members do many of their transcriptions for four guitars. Several of their concert favorites are included in the program, such as the music from the Nutcracker Suite and selections from their tributes to several admired guitarists, including Chet Atkins, Ralph Towner, and Pat Metheny. Their lengthy and virtuosic arrangement of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 hasn’t been recorded by the LAGQ thus far on any of their CDs.
Informal introductions to some of the pieces are given by each of the four members. One of the most interesting sounds they produce in the concert is on the gamelan-inspired work Gongan, by guitarist Kanengiser. Each of the players has little alligator clips fastened to their strings which results in an amazing imitation of the sound of the gamelan orchestra. The closing, Pachelbel’s Loose Canon is a kick and half and in its goofiness will appeal to all those listeners who are sick and tired of the overplayed Canon. The interviews in the extras are also worth watching. The longest is with all four members sitting around a big table talking about their history, various unusual concerts, and how they work together. There are also short interviews with their Telarc producer Bob Woods, who originally signed them up, and with Pepe Romero of the famed Romero Family of the Spanish Guitar. Both the excellent 16:9 screen images and the clean stereo soundtrack set this DVD apart from most of other Mel Bay product. Some of the concert looks just a bit washed out, but one can adjust the picture for that.
– John Sunier
