The Force of Four Guitars: LAGQ @ Benaroya
The LA Guitar Quartet are, from left to right, Scott Tennant, John Dearman, William Tanengiser, and Matt Greif.
The multiplier effect can create some rather extraordinary sounds in a musical ensemble--the string section of an orchestra, for example, or a battery of snare drums in a marching band. On Tuesday night at Benaroya Hall, the extraordinary sound was that of four guitars. The acclaimed Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) presented an eclectic program for a nearly packed hall, which included works with orchestra in the first half and three themed sets in the second half (Spanish Renaissance pieces, Brazilian music, and some quintessentially American tunes).
An acquaintance, who plays violin in the Seattle Symphony, informed us that they only had a single rehearsal on the morning of the performance and that the players were genuinely concerned as to whether they would be able to pull off the new composition by Sergio Assad. The fear of failure must have inspired the virtuosos within all of them, for although the orchestra did sound slightly under-rehearsed here and there, it was still a resounding success and a tremendous musical experience.
You experience LAGQ as a single organic expression, but their unity is derived from the melding of four distinct musicians, each with his own personality and individual contribution: William Kanengiser is a first-rate guitarist with one of the lightest left hands we've ever seen grace a fretboard; Scott Tennant is the other powerhouse in the quartet, with quick, nimble fingers, and a wonderful arsenal of eclectic guitar techniques, such as his hummingbird-like thumb tremolo; John Dearman provides depth with a seven-string guitar, producing wonderfully low rumblings within the soundscape of the ensemble; and last, Matthew Greif--a relatively new addition to the quartet, replacing the composer Andrew York--has a diverse background and actually incorporated a plectrum within the midst of a “classical” ensemble.
Kanengiser and Tenant are in many ways on a completely different level with their virtuosity, but the distribution of parts, drawing from each member's different strengths, produces a tremendous blending of talents, so that deficiencies are not detected, just a beautifully splendid musical whole--the ultimate aim of any good ensemble.
