Music Reviews : Romero and Son at Ambassador

Guitarist Angel Romero’s program of Romantic chestnuts Saturday night, rescheduled from February, turned briefly into something special after intermission when the aristocratic guitarist turned his attention to music by Villa-Lobos and by his father, Celedonio Romero.

Before that, however, in Fernando Sor’s familiar Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Opus 9, and excerpts from Gaspar Sanz’s “Suite Espanola,” Romero played with delicate colors and perfumed emotions and little more.

Worse, son Lito made his personal Ambassador Auditorium debut a disaster. Joining his father in arrangements of two Domenico Scarlatti sonatas, the nervous youngster disdained the printed music his father self-consciously used and suffered repeated memory lapses.

It was well, therefore, that in both Villa-Lobos’ gorgeous Prelude No. 1 and Celedonio Romero’s colorful “Triptico,” Angel raised his playing to an extraordinary level. Every bar seemed improvised and charged with fresh musical intrigue and instrumental virtuosity.

The 10-minute “Triptico,” in particular, an effective hybrid of classical form and Spanish flavor tinged with hints of Fellini film scores and Viennese zither music, showed composer Celedonio to be master of the alternating flourishes and gentle lyrical passages that are the hallmarks of the guitarist’s Romantic repertory. Since it was clearly the work of a musical raconteur, it might have benefited from a more flamboyant performance. Still, there was no denying son Angel’s authority.

After a closing set of Granados, Turina and Albeniz, Romero responded to the audience’s standing ovations with encores including Celedonio’s brilliant “Fantasia” and Lecuona’s popular “Malaguena.”