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Arts and Life
The Clarion \ October 10, 2008
The Porter Center Concerts in Review:
Carlos Perez, Classical Guitar
by Jason DeCristefaro
Arts & Life Editor
The Porter Center is renowned in the
Southeast for featuring some of the finest
soloists performing concert repertoire
today. Classical guitarist Carlos Perez was
no exception when he performed there on
Sunday October 5. In fact, he provided
one of the most enjoyable concerts given
by a soloist give at the Porter Center in a
long time.
The music Perez performed for the
concert was standard repertoire for the
instrument, primarily from the catalog of
Carulli in the first half of the show. The
best selection, “Polonesa Opus 141,” is a
staple in the pantheon of classical guitar
literature. It isn’t surprising that Carlos
chose to perform the work, seeing how
Carulli is one of the most influential
classical guitar composers, writing over 400
works for the instrument. What was surprising,
however, was the intensity and musicality that
Carlos poured into his performance of the
piece.
The constant rhythm of cascading chords in
the first half often sounds monotonous in the
hands of an amateur Perez, however, carefully
observed the dynamics and brought out the
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romantic qualities of the introduction. The
harmonics before the entrance of the theme
were angelic and crystalline, resonating like a
bell. The use of the pedal point in the
development section had a powerful
and round tone without dominating the
melody - even a section as simple as this
carried more meaning because Perez’s
mature musical interpretation. The
cumbersome technical requirements of
the piece never prevented Carlos from
making the “Polonesa” sound effortless
and dance-like...this is the sign of a
true master
The second selection of the concert
that was especially impressive was the
“Cinco Piezas (5 Pieces),” by the late
Argentinean composer Julio Sagreras,
also an important figure in the world
of classical guitar composers. Perez
was wise in selecting this piece, since it
allowed him to demonstrate many of his
virtuosic capabilities on the instrument. Some
of these included artificial harmonics, two
finger tremolos, and execution of counterpoint
between the lower and upper registers of the
instrument. Even the most omery sections of
the five pieces never seemed to phase Perez -
he seemed extremely natural and relaxed while
performed the guitar, almost as if the instrument
was an extension of him. A world class musician
and royalty among classical guitarists, Carlos
Perez provided an astounding and breath-taking
performance that only a handful of artists have
managed to match in caliber at the Porter Center
for Performing Arts.
Upcoming Events at the
Porter Center:
Sat. Oct. 11 @ 7:30p.m. -
East Village Opera Com
pany (Classical Operas
performed by 2 Vocalists,
a String Quartet, and a
Rock Band)
Student Tickets: $10