[Leo Brouwer, Afro-Cuban Composer and Classical Guitarist]
James McQuillen argues that symphony performances of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez come at the expense of a great many excellent concertos for guitar, such as those of the Afro-Cuban composer Leo Brouwer.
OregonLive.com
by James McQuillen, Special to The Oregonian
Sunday February 08, 2009, 3:20 PM
Given that classical guitarists rarely turn up on the average symphony program, and given also that Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" is unquestionably a masterpiece, it would be churlish to complain about a guitarist joining the Oregon Symphony for the "Concerto de Aranjuez," right? Maybe so, but I'd like to register a complaint on behalf of the rest of the repertoire.
Given that classical guitarists rarely turn up on the average symphony program, and given also that Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" is unquestionably a masterpiece, it would be churlish to complain about a guitarist joining the Oregon Symphony for the "Concerto de Aranjuez," right? Maybe so, but I'd like to register a complaint on behalf of the rest of the repertoire.
When orchestras engage guitarists, there's a pretty good chance they'll perform Rodrigo. True, the last time Christopher Parkening came to Portland, he didn't play the "Concerto de Aranjuez" -- he played the second-favorite Rodrigo warhorse, the "Fantasia para un gentilhombre." Symphony people, there are plenty of guitar concertos out there crying for your attention. The Cuban composer Leo Brouwer has written nearly a dozen. Sharon Isbin featured two recent examples, by Christopher Rouse and Tan Dun, on her terrific 2001 concerto CD. Leo Kottke and Stephen Paulus collaborated on one, incorporating Kottke's folk- and blues-rooted music into the orchestral idiom. How great it would be to hear this music. [Full Post] [Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]
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