Light, Subtle, Very Spanish

Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” is the most popular guitar concerto in the world. Composed in 1939, it has received innumerable performances, plus at least 40 recordings to date.

Its haunting slow movement even surfaced as the lead track on the remarkable Miles Davis-Gil Evans jazz album “Sketches of Spain” produced in 1959-60 for Columbia.

Rodrigo was never able to duplicate the success of his early concerto. But he certainly tried.

He wrote the engaging “Fantasia para un Gentilhombre,” based on renaissance Spanish dance forms, in 1954. But it’s a distant second in terms of performances and recordings.

The same year, he turned his attention to the harp, writing the “Concierto Serenata” for harp and orchestra, which in its last movement draws upon the composer’s lively fourth “Madrigales Amatorias.” This is a piece you have to hunt to find, though it’s worth the effort.

Then there’s his “Concierto Andaluz,” composed in 1967 for the four Romeros--father Celedonio and sons Angel, Pepe and Celin.

It’s this work that the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will play with the Pacific Symphony led by Carl St.Clair on Wednesday and Thursday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. The program also will include music by Strauss, Chabrier and Robert Xavier Rodriguez.

Rodrigo lovers also can search out the (1948) “Madrigales Amatorias” themselves and the (1968) “Concierto Madrigal” for two guitars and orchestra.

“The art world is so stultified,” L.A. Guitar Quartet guitarist Andrew York said in a recent phone interview from his Los Angeles home.

“There are other solo guitar concertos. But they’re impossible to program. Everyone wants the ‘Aranjuez.’

“It’s easier for the ‘Andaluz.’ There are not as many other quartet concertos to compete with. But even if there were, they would ask for it because they recognize the name of the composer.”

Not that York is complaining.

“It’s a very triumphant-sounding piece, very enjoyable,” he said. “It’s very Spanish. It’s lighter in sound than the ‘Aranjuez.’ It seems more straightforward to me.”

There’s a connection between the L.A. Guitar Quartet and the piece, via Pepe Romero.

The quartet was formed in 1980 by four of Pepe’s students--originally, Anisa Angarola, John Dearman, William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant--in an ensemble class at USC.

The School of Music soon asked them to perform outreach concerts in neighboring schools. The L.A. Cultural Affairs Department then jumped aboard, commissioning a five-week tour through Mexico to give concerts to students. They played 48 concerts in those five weeks, often performing several times a day.

They were on their way as a professional ensemble.

When Angarola left the group in 1990, York joined it. The four now tour the world about six months a year and record for the Sony Classical label. (In the early ‘90s, they recorded four CDs for Delos.) They also maintain separate careers.

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Kanengiser and Tennant teach at USC. Dearman teaches at Pasadena City College and El Camino College. York composes and works as a computer programmer of sound-oriented software.

“I see it [his job] as another composition,” he said.

Their repertory is a mix of transcriptions and original pieces.

“We’ve done a lot of orchestral transcripts, which work really well for a quartet,” York said. “But there’s a lot that’s been written for us. It’s a new medium. Everything had to be created fresh.

“Typically, we do all our own arrangements,” he added. “Most [other] arrangements are not democratic. We know each other’s playing very well and what we’re capable of. No one can arrange something to take such good advantage of our strengths as can one of the members. Which makes it more interesting for each player.”

Although the members also will play solo concerts, they will not break into smaller ensembles or solo when they are booked as a quartet.

“We wanted to be a quartet,” York said. “We’re really not similar to a string quartet, but you can take that as an analogy. If you go to a string quartet program, rarely does the cellist do a Bach solo cello suite. We wanted to make the medium a viable one.

“We’ve actually talked about changing that philosophy recently so we could play solos and duos. But there is so much rep available to us now. We’ve been working so many years on that.”

There is the question of diminishing returns, though. If one guitar is good, are four as good or better? Four pianos can make quite a din, for instance.

“Basically a piano is a machine,” York said. “It’s a complex machine that allows you to play complex music. But it takes away control over the sound.

“The guitar is the only instrument where both selection of pitch and creation of tone is created directly by touch, by the body. As a guitarist, you have incredible subtlety of tone available to you. We can do timbre things undreamed of by other instruments.”

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York was fated to play the instrument.

“My father and uncle are both guitar players. Inevitably I would try it. I had a good ability on it very early. I had classical training.

“All of us started young and dabbled with other styles. It’s hard not to. The guitar’s in every style. We have experience in the popular world, flamenco and jazz, which enriches what we can do. We can overcome all the limitations of just plucking. We can draw from other styles and refresh the ear.”

Chris Pasles can be reached at (714) 966-5602 or by e-mail at chris.pasles@- latimes.com.

SHOW TIMES

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will play Rodrigo’s “Concierto Andaluz” with the Pacific Symphony led by Carl St.Clair, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. The program also will include music by Strauss, Robert Xavier Rodriguez and Chabrier. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. $19 to $52. (714) 556-2787.