From Heaven by Way of Santa Fe
From The Washington Post
By Mark Carrington
October 9, 1992
The harp has always been depicted as the instrument of choice for
angels, but a recent concert at the Organization of American States
suggests that painters have gotten it wrong: They should be holding classical guitars.
As guitarists go, the members of the Santa Fe Guitar Quartet from
Argentina are about as good as you get.
And they do play like angels. How else to explain the hushed, golden
counterpoint of Praetorius's "Ballet"? The Quartet waited at least 30
seconds (which feels like an eternity) for the audience to quiet down
before leading into a glow of notes. It was as if they were
touching something venerable.
There was plenty of music with a secular bent: Two tangos by Piazzolla
had a decidedly lustful feel to them, as did selections from de Falla's
"El Amor Brujo." The "South American Popular Suite," presumably
arranged by the Quartet though no credit was given, was equally spicy and full of flavor.
And the interplay of instruments was immensely enjoyable in "Garota
de Ipanema" despite one's feelings about "The Girl From Ipanema."
Can the Santa Fe Guitar Quartet do no wrong? Well, the guitarists
might leave Bach's "Brandenburg" Concerto No. 3 out of their program. It suffers at the hand of a guitar quartet--no matter how heavenly it is played.