Few combinations of solo and orchestra are as inherently dysfunctional as Guitar Concertos. No matter how small the orchestra or judiciously pared down the accompaniments, the solo always gets swamped, and the guitar’s limited dynamic range makes it impossible to hear in today’s large halls, at least without amplification (which many acoustic guitar players resist for reasons that elude me). That’s why it took recordings to give Rodrigo’s famous works (including the Concierto de Aranjuez) their lease on life, and the same probably will be true of this latest entry by Elmer Bernstein. This is a pity, because Bernstein’s new work strikes me as incontestably the finest piece ever composed for this combination, and it deserves the widest possible exposure. The music wears its Spanish influences lightly: a hint of Nights in the Gardens of Spain here, La Vida Breve there, a smidgeon of Rodrigo in the second movement. But the surging lyricism and opulent (but never dense or heavy) orchestral textures remain vintage Bernstein, and I can’t imagine a finer performance than this one by Christopher Parkening. He plays with pellucid tone and nary a trace of that annoying squeaking and sliding over the frets that disfigures so many classical guitar discs–and he has the composer himself on the podium.
Jack Marshall’s Essay for Guitar (a mini-concerto in three brief movements) passes time agreeably; it’s high on charm and well crafted, though not particularly distinctive melodically. However, Marshall’s arrangement for guitar and orchestra of Albeniz’s La Vega is very well put together and avoids the usual feeling of constriction that afflicts so many solo guitar transcriptions of piano music. At about 14 minutes, it’s a substantial piece of work and it deserves to be played more often than seems to have been the case up to this point. Only 48 minutes long, this disc isn’t as well filled as it could have been; but finding couplings for guitar concertos, especially new ones by non-Spaniards, can’t be easy. As it stands, Bernstein’s masterpiece really deserves the widest currency. It’s a marvel and a joy to see this fine composer of film scores getting a rare hearing for his concert music. [1/3/2001]
