The state of the guitar program at UNC School of the Arts is strong.
Fans of the Winston-Salem Symphony found that out yesterday when one instructor and three students teamed up with the ensemble in Concierto Andaluz for Four Guitars and Orchestra by Joaquin Rodrigo. Robert Moody conducted masterfully.
Andaluz, from 1967, was a highlight of "Bolero," a program of several pieces, including Ravel's masterpiece of the same name, which were influenced by the folk dances and culture of Spain. The program will be repeated Tuesday at the Stevens Center.
The instructor soloist in Andaluz was Joseph Pecoraro. The student soloists were Colin Fullerton, a high-school junior; Ryan Layton, a college sophomore; and Andrew Motten, who is pursuing a master's degree.
The soloists made a strong case for this concerto, which has long been upstaged by Rodrigo's immensely popular Concierto de Aranjuez, for one guitar. They made many brief-but-rich episodes adding up to an even more satisfying whole, executing some really cool unison lines to what might be described as an intricate cadenza for four soloists in the piece's slower middle movement.
Along the way, the listener gained an even deeper appreciation for how well Rodrigo orchestrated for guitars and orchestra, often having the two trade material back and forth in a rapid-fire conversation. He found a way to revive time-honored procedures from the Baroque into the fray as well.
Witness, for example, what David Levy, in program notes, describes as "a repeating descending bass line evoking the character of a Baroque passacaglia." The effect is both felicitous and hypnotic; yesterday, it formed a foundation on which Pecoraro could solo expressively. And some juicy solos for wind instruments burst intermittently out of the fray; yesterday, the symphony's principals used them as a vehicle to showcase their virtuosity. Moody led a precise, well-coordinated performance.
I've heard several less-than-inspiring performances of Ravel's Bolero over the years. But during yesterday's performance, which wound up the concert, I was neither bored nor thinking much of Bo Derek in the movie 10.
Moody's interpretation made me a Bolero believer for several reasons. Begin with his ingenious choice of placing two snare drums, played by John Beck and Wiley Sykes III respectively, in front of the orchestra. This gave the two instruments not only star power but underscored just how important they are in driving the music along.
I was also taken with the freewheeling spontaneity of each of the many wind solos; not one of them featured a straight and studied note, recalling everything from the spirit of klezmer to the spontaneity of jazz. Moody paced everything to a highly climactic conclusion, leaving the listener feeling invigorated.
Bolero also featured Joaquin Turina's Danzas fantasticas and a suite drawn from The Three-Cornered Hat, Manuel de Falla's ballet. Of these, De Falla's music made the strongest impression, mainly because Moody threw himself into every bar of it with unbridled relish.
The results may have been a bit over the top. But the color, rhythmic zest and explosiveness more than made up for that.
■ Yesterday's Winston-Salem Symphony program will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Stevens Center. For tickets, call 721-1945.
■ Ken Keuffel can be reached at 727-7337 or at kkeuffel@wsjournal.com.
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