With 14 albums, a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover CD and consistently sold-out performances worldwide, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is a musical force to be reckoned with. One of the most multifaceted groups in any genre, the quartet, formed in 1980, brings a new energy to the stage with music from bluegrass to Bach, Baroque, flamenco, rock, and new-age contemporary.
LAGQ has collaborated with actor Philip Proctor in Don Quixote and with Shingo Fuji for the work SHINKI: Seasons of Japan. Says Allmusic.com about their self-titled album, "What is extraordinary about them is that they are also composers, arrangers, and innovators. This is apparent as soon as the first notes of the opening track are heard. The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet can make any genre of music sound at home on the guitar, as if that is how it was always destined to be played. How refreshing it is to have a disc that is so engaging, diverse, educational, and just plain fun." Adds The Baltimore Sun, “A formidable ensemble, both in terms of technical bravura and musical personality."
The program includes:
Music from the Time of Cervantes” (arr. W. Kanengiser)
Jácaras Anonymous (17th century)
El Villano Antonio Martín y Coll
Diferéncias Sobre Las Folias Antonio Martín y Coll
Chacona (“La Vida Bona”) Juan Arañéz
Oy Comamos Juan de Encina
Brandenburg Concerto #6, BWV 1051 Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. J. Smith)
Three Brazilian Pieces
Da Sábado pra Dominguihnos Hermeto Pascoal
O Lenda da Caboclo Heitor Villa-Lobos
Samba Novo Baden Powell
Intermission
Opals Phillip Houghton
La soirée dans Grenade Claude Debussy (arr. J. Smith)
Carmen Suite George Bizet (arr. W. Kanengiser)
MUSIC LINKS, NEWS, REVIEWS, & MORE: Website, Facebook, @LAGQ
If you like Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, you may also enjoy Zakir Hussain with Rahul Sharma, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Mnozil Brass, Gabriela Montero, and Joshua Bell & Alessio Bax
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Wisconsin Arts Board
String quartet with a reputation for compelling interpretations of contemporary music.