Guitar quartets bring out versatility of instrument
Posted By SHARON FITZSIMMINS
Posted 2 months ago
Music classrooms in Barrie high schools now include guitar classes. It would have been quite an education for these students to hear the two guitar quartets, one from Canada and one from Austria, perform a wide variety of music on Saturday evening at Hi-Way Penecostal Church as part of the Barrie Concert Series.
The versatility of this instrument and the professionalism shown was inspiring. Perhaps a few guitar students were in the audience. I hope so.
The evening began with three pieces from the Renaissance period, a period that really established the guitar and string family. The octet captured the dance-like quality of the music through clarity of technique and execution of the antiphonal phrasing.
Roaring Guitars by Gunter Schneider indeed displayed that Schneider was an expert in contemporary music. The tone clusters, discordant sounds produced by pulling on the guitar strings, playing the wood of the guitar, using knitting needles on the strings and primitive rhythms made for an interesting contrast to the preceding pieces.
Octopus, written by Bruderi, a member of the Salzburg quartet, is based on Turkish folk song traditions. The balance between the melodic and harmonic lines was perfect. This piece had great contrast in dynamics, yet the guitars sounded as one voice in the unison soli passages.
The Canadian Guitar Quartet performed Carnaval by Patrick Roux, one of the guitarists. This piece was fun, fast and had many percussion effects. The first half of the concert ended with the combined quartets playing Cuerda pa'rato, featuring Chilean folk songs being passed from one guitar to the other.
After intermission, the guitarists began with Comme un Tango by Roux. The fire of the Spanish tango soon overtook the quiet and peaceful opening. A two-movement piece by Leo Brouwer followed. The first movement translated means City of a 1,000 strings.
Indeed, the guitars made the 49 strings they have on their instruments sound like 1,000. At times the guitars sounded like the top note of a piano. Other times like a choir of bells.
Echoing of the guitarists characterized the second movement. More special effects combined with the reference to the Renaissance composer, Lassus, ended perfectly with two single notes echoing church chimes.
The Austrian Quartet displayed their brilliant technique and unity of sound in Baiao de Gude. The concert ended with the combined quartets playing En las calles de Buenos Aires by Roux.
This work reflects a taxi ride through the streets of Buenos Aires and the eight musicians took us for quite a ride.
The fast pace of the music, contrasting middle section and the powerful ending did depict the scene perfectly.
A brilliant ending to a brilliant concert.
