LAGQ – Interchange = RODRIGO: Concierto Andaluz for Guitar Quartet and Orchestra; SERGIO ASSAD: Interchange for Guitar Quartet and Orchestra – Los Angeles Guitar Quartet/Delaware Symphony Orchestra/David Amado – Telarc TEL-31754-02, 54:49 [Distr. by Concord Music] *****:
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet consider themselves “the children of the Romeros” – the world-famous guitar quartet for whom Rodrigo composed the Concierto Andaluz. This new CD comes as the LAGQ approach their 30th year on the concert stage, and although most of their albums have featured only the four guitarists, this time they decided to pair up that famous four-guitar concerto with a new one they commissioned from one-half of the Brazilian guitar duo the Assad Brothers – Sergio and Odair.
The Rodrigo work has some similarities to his more-famous Concierto de Aranjuez for a single guitar soloist and orchestra. Both have a very moving Adagio movement at their centers. Both the first and last movements of the work tie in with flamenco music: the first imitating the sound of castanets, and the last based on two flamenco forms: the sevillana and the vibrant zapateado – featuring the well-known heel-stamping.
Sergio Assad reports that Interchange grew out of the abilities of the LAGQ to blend many different musical styles into a unique interpretation. He envisioned them driving around LA – each on their own musical highway – which eventually come together. He used the individual personalities and musical tastes of the four guitarist as the stimuli for the first four movements. Sephardic Passage is for Bill Kanengiser, crossing some Renaissance dances with Hebraic and klezmer-like styles. Gypsy Slopes honors Scott Tennant, who is into flamenco and also has family roots in Yugoslavia. Balkan elements are mixed with traditional Spanish themes in this movement. The slow movement Pacific Outlook is for Matt Greif, the newest member of the quartet. It is like a jazz ballad with hints of Asian colors and textures. The fourth movement, Forroblues Detour, is for John Dearman, who loves Brazilian music. It mixes elements of the forro, and choro. In Crossings – the last movement – all the themes of the first four movements are intermixed, along with an extended cadenza for all four guitars.
There are not many recordings by the Deleware Symphony, but they make a perfect collaboration with the LAGQ on this new CD. It’s a shame it won’t also be available as a surround SACD – as with their other releases – since the new arrangement with Concord Music. That would have been ideal for the spatial setup of the four guitars with orchestra.
– John Sunier
