Guitar master teaches, entertains

DANIEL ARIARATNAM
PHILIP WALKER, RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO (Oct 2, 2006)

Generally, with classical music, the crowds tend to span the more mature age demographics.

On Friday night, however, this generalization was challenged, when classical guitarist Robert Gruca performed at the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society's Music Room.

The intimate and charming venue was packed with a mostly under-30 crowd, consisting of a healthy portion of serious students of the instrument.

If applause is an honest indicator, they were impressed.

But more than that, judging by the scattered intermission conversations, the local guitar students were there to dissect Gruca's playing -- analyzing picking techniques and other complicated technical issues -- hoping to gain tips through observation. Gruca is among North America's finest young guitarists.

Although he's only recently graduated from the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music, receiving his master of music degree in 2002, he's already earned several first prizes in national guitar competitions.

He's now embarked on the next phase of his career: recording projects and heavy concertizing. The first half of the recital consisted of a three movement Sonatina by Jorge Morel (b. 1931) and Handel's Suite No. 7.

Although Morel was born in Argentina, he now lives and works in New York City and has an equally solid reputation as a performer and classical guitar composer.

Gruca's performance of Morel's Sonatina put the work within the context of the baroque era Handel -- charming, light and dignified. The second half started off with 2 Song by Franz Schubert, arranged for guitar by his contemporary Johann Kaspar Mertz.

Lob der. Thranen (In Praise of Tears) and Standchen (Serenade) were performed with fluidity and poise. There's an interesting story behind Milen Parashkevov's (b. 1972) Evocacion, which Gruca narrated as program notes.

Parashkevov, a friend of Gruca, wrote the work and submitted it to the Joann Falletta guitar composition competition. He won.

Evocacion, the middle piece in the second half, is based on an ancient Bulgarian melody, which Gruca played separately, before commenting that the melody is "sometimes obvious, sometimes buried."

The work is different than standard guitar music, in that it relies heavily on textures, unusual timbres and unorthodox guitar techniques.

Gruca's exceptional performance of the fine composition highlighted musical shading, expressing a dynamic range of colours, a technical and musical accomplishment that's subtle and rarely experienced due to the difficulties in realizing this expressive potential. The final work on the program was Agustin Barrios Mangore's (1885-1944) three pieces: Danza Paraguaya, which had a Spanish dance feel, Choro da Saudade (Nostalgic Choro) and Vals op. 8 no. 4.

The dark-sounding work contains rich and unusual harmonizations. Gruca certainly got around the instrument with remarkable easy, all the while projecting an atmospheric quality in his performance. The encore was Roland's Tango and Skai.

Safely assuming that nobody actually knew what the word Skai meant, Gruca shared his opinion: "I think it means sort of a spoof on the Tango."

Regardless, it's a highly charged and virtuosic showpiece with all the charms of a tango, and it was dazzlingly performed -- a great ending to an enjoyable night of fine music performed by a talented guitarist and musician.