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FORT WORTH -- Four times six usually equals 24.
But when you take six guitar strings and multiply it by four virtuosos, you get the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, which performed at Scott Theatre on Sunday night.
And the sum of their parts is much greater than the whole.
This ensemble has been around for more than 20 years, so it can be pretty much taken for granted that the guitarists will play the right notes in the right places.
You can also expect that the pieces offered will take advantage of the group's numbers, which allow it to play arrangements that feature a good mix of ensemble work and individual contributions, although solos are rare.
Sunday's concert, which was presented by the Fort Worth Classic Guitar Society, certainly did not disappoint on either of those fronts. The playing was up to the quartet's high standards, and the program made full and creative use of the presence of four guitars instead of the usual lone performer.
So the issue that tips the scale at an L.A. Guitar recital is the program. And the pieces chosen for this performance were inspired.
The concert opened with Two African Pieces, the only work of the evening composed by a member of the quartet. This pair of short works by William Kanengiser was delightful. The first, Mbira, was a sort of round that featured some delightful and exotic sounds. The second, Djembe, was a spritely piece that had the character of a Renaissance dance.
This was followed by the best work of the concert's first half, a collection of pieces from the 16th and 17th centuries arranged for guitars by Kanengiser, Music in the Time of Cervantes. Surprisingly, the suite was assembled in coordination with two great comedians. John Cleese of Monty Python fame, and Phil Proctor of the brilliant Firesign Theatre troupe joined the quartet in performances providing readings from Don Quixote between sections.
Even without the clowns, it was a highly amusing presentation. Another advantage of four guitars is the potential to create a wide range of distinct voices within a given piece. The quartet fully realized that potential in this work. It often seemed that various Cervantes characters were speaking as the guitarists played. The set also included a treatment of the ancient tune la folia, a dance tune that has probably inspired more sets of variations than any other piece in the history of music, that was a joy.
The first half closed with one of the most substantial works on the program, Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo. Kanengiser's arrangement of this ballet made the quartet sound quite orchestral. Especially compelling was the famous Ritual Fire Dance segment. The complicated interplay of the guitarists gave it a sinister character that often tipped slightly toward madness. It was dark and delicious.
The second half of the concert went in a completely different direction.
On All Fours, by the contemporary American composer Bryan Johanson, was worlds removed from the previous works. It was odd, angular, dissonant and metallic. But it was just as engrossing.
The next scheduled works were also relatively new. But an early deadline prevented me from hearing a trio of jazz pieces (two by trumpeter Miles Davis and one by saxophonist John Coltrane) arranged by quartet member Matthew Greif, a work by contemporary composer Leo Brouwer and, finally, Bizet's Carmen Suite, one of the group's signature pieces.
So, on paper at least, it was a nicely structured and varied program. And just about any way you chose to add this concert up, it was bound to result in an impressive total.
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