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RECITAL REVIEW

Guitarist William Kanengiser

MAGICAL GUITAR MASTERY IN KANENGISER'S SCHROEDER RECITAL

by Chloe Tucker
Friday, October 10, 2014

William Kanengiser is known to many in the classical guitar world as one of today’s most virtuosic players, and his recital October 10 in Sonoma State’s new Schroeder Hall was a fine testimony to his stellar reputation.

Mr. Kanengiser took the stage with all the charming felicity of a player who simply loves his instrument and its music and delivered fluid and joyful performances of music from around the world. His introductions of each piece also enriched the repertoire, allowing the audience to feel more connected to the music and Mr. Kanengiser’s interpretations of it.

The program began with a sequence of pieces by some of Spain’s most esteemed composers for the guitar. First, in Falla’s La Danza del Molinero the artist’s kinetically charged strumming patterns coupled with stoic melodic passages on the lower strings brilliantly captured the audience’s attention. The opening piece of any concert is the fundamental meeting of performer and audience, and this particular piece was an impassioned yet precisely calculated salutation. Next came three Tárrega pieces -¡Marieta! (a mazurka), Lágrima (a prelude) and María (a gavotte). Mr. Kanengiser explained that each piece was written for and about Tárrega’s family: ¡Marieta! for his wife, Lágrima when he missed his family dearly, and María for his daughter.

It was during these pieces that the artist’s mastery of his instrument and a huge emotional range became overwhelmingly apparent. He did not sit and hold the guitar, he danced and communicated with it as one would with a partner. During the last section of ¡Marieta!, Mr. Kanengiser’s right hand moved over the fingerboard in a technique called tasto that lent such mellifluous wistfulness that the audience could almost feel the composer’s love for this woman in his life. Lágrima was, as Mr. Kanengiser promised, the “saddest piece in a major key.” His physical expression of this piece, and his breathing alone, provided an immersive experience. The rubato during the middle section was surprising, but appropriately reminiscent of a particular deep sob. He played María with mischievous delight, creating dynamic connections between the ‘mother’ piece (¡Marieta!) and the daughter piece.

Following this sweet trio was Sor’s Fantasie Elegiaque, Op. 59, and Turina’s Fantasia (“Sevillana”). Mr. Kanengiser provided context for each piece with brief introductions, once again adding richer and more enjoyable experiences in the pieces. The first work, written for a student of Sor whom had died in childbirth, was particularly heart wrenching. The guitarist transported the audience from the shock of this loss, into the church for the Mass, and then into the graveyard. Mr. Kanengiser’s narrative of grief was gripping without being overly dramatic, tense without being rigid, with all the appropriate emotions anchored in each section. The second piece, influenced by Impressionist art and traditional dances from Seville, brought the audience out of that dark, introspective mood, and once again demonstrated Mr. Kanengiser’s emotional range with the guitar. The passion was played in wide brushstrokes of pianissimo and fortissimo dynamics, and nothing was held back. At times a smile flickered over the performer’s face, giving perhaps an intimate glimpse into his interpretation of the piece.

The program continued with “Music of North America,” beginning with Leo Brouwer’s “Afro Cu-ban Lullaby” and “Danza Carecterística.” Both were Cuban folksong arrangements, and both were about mothers and children. Mr. Kanengiser’s poised, unhurried delivery of Lullaby was well contrasted with the Carecterística’s more frenetic pace. The repertoire choices in the program were spectacular, each piece contrasting enough with the previous one to stand out, but still relating and forming a cohesive whole. These two pieces were no exception.

Having tapped the Cuban vein, Mr. Kanengiser subsequently played Ponce’s “Prelúdio Cubano,” “Intermezzo,” “Trópico,” and “Rumba.” From the first piece in the program, La Danza del Molinero, Mr. Kanengiser demonstrated an affinity with dance-like compositions. “Trópico” and “Rumba” expanded on this theme, and, peeking around, I could see more than a few feet a’ movin’. Mr. Kanengiser obviously relishes these rhythmically textured pieces, almost losing himself in the pulse of each one.

The concluding three works on the program were all composed after 1950: “Missing Her” by Fred Hand, “The Magic Serenade” by Bryan Johanson, and Brian Head’s “Brookland Boogie”. These pieces nicely rounded out the program with jazz influences, and further showcased the guitarist’s mastery of rhythm. He played with a small foot-tapping snare during “Brookland Boo-gie,” adding an extra bit of fun to this light-hearted and energetic way to end the evening.

Of course, that wasn’t the end. Mr. Kanengiser came back out after a standing ovation and played two spectacular pieces by a Chinese composer. His musical versatility was astounding. I hope, as likely does the rest of the audience, that Mr. Kanengiser will be invited back back to Schroeder. After all, he did say at the concert’s beginning that playing here was like “sitting inside of a guitar.” William Kanengiser with a guitar inside of a guitar? What a winning combination.