Cordero: Caribbean Concertos for Guitar and for Violin (CD review)

Concerto Festivo; Insula: Suite Concertante; Concertino Tropical. Pepe Romero, guitar; Guillermo Figueroa, violin; I Solisti di Zagreb. Naxos 8.572707.

Here's a pleasant surprise: Three pieces of modern classical music that are harmonic, rhythmic, and accessible, delights to listen to. It was as though somebody forgot to tell Puerto Rican composer and guitarist Ernesto Cordero (b. 1946) that serious contemporary music should be insufferable for 99% of the listening public. Throw in two world-class soloists, a world-class chamber orchestra, and a darn good recording, all for a relatively low price, and you get a genuine musical bargain.

Not that I think any of the three concertos on the disc will attain absolute "classic" status anytime soon or become a part of the basic classical repertoire. They are not quite in that rarified category that finds Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez; Cordero's melodies are pleasurable but not so memorable that they might stick with a person for long. I wouldn't expect people to be whistling the tunes when they finish the album. But I do expect they'll finish the album, and with delight.

Anyway, the program begins with the three-movement Concierto Festivo for guitar and string orchestra (2003), with guitar virtuoso Pepe Romero as soloist, accompanied by the well-established chamber ensemble I Solisti di Zagreb. A booklet note tells us that Cordero dedicated the piece to Romero, who in turn describes it as having "divine inspiration," so I suppose we can say the performance is as authoritative as it can be.

The first movement of the Concierto, Allegro elegante, alternates quick rhythms with highly lyrical sections, surprising one at each turn. Cordero marks the central slow movement Adagio con passione, so Romero takes it with a simmering passion. The finale, Energico, is just that--energetic--as well as the longest movement of the piece. It begins somewhat darkly, Romero's solo part entering late; then, when the guitar does come in, it's with a change of mood that proclaims the title of the work. My own favorite parts were the quieter, more songlike passages, which Romero plays with sweetly intense emotion.

Next up are two violin concertos that display a fusion of Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and African musical influences. The first of these concertos is the four-movement piece Insula: Suite Concertante for violin and string orchestra (2009), with violinist Guillermo Figueroa and I Solisti di Zagreb. The piece looks at different parts of the island, different landscapes, making the music quite picturesque. The meditative parts are particularly lovely and haunting in Figueroa's hands.

The program ends with the three-movement Concertino Tropical for violin and string orchestra (1998), again with Figueroa and I Solisti di Zagreb. It's the briefest and most vibrant of the music on the disc, although the slow movement, "The Mahogony Tree," strikes a note almost of sorrow. The conclusion, "The Golden Hummingbird," must have practically burned the strings off Figueroa's violin. In all, it's entertaining music with an abundance of soul.

Naxos recorded the music at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, Zagreb, Croatia in 2009-2010. The two solo instruments appear fairly close up, with the ensemble spread out widely behind them. Interestingly, though, both solo instruments sound a bit warmer and less distinctly detailed than the orchestra. Nevertheless, it's a clear and well-defined presentation in a pleasantly resonant acoustic, with more-than-adequate depth, breadth, and dynamic range.

JJP