An Opportunity of a Lifetime (During a Pandemic)
From the moment I stepped foot into the hall where I would hear my first live performance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was immediately eager to hear music played by an ensemble in real-time. Not only that, but I was incredibly intrigued by the instrumentation chosen by Edwin Guevara for his new piece “Ibero-American Landscapes”, with its blend of two guitars, a cello, and a flute. As I watched their dress rehearsal from a great distance and socially distanced from other audience members, I was caught off guard by the last minute alterations and additions made just minutes before the world premiere. I watched as Edwin added relatively complex percussion like beats to the guitar and cello parts that they were supposed to achieve with their wrists against their instruments. In addition, he added phrasings and dynamics to certain flute and guitar melodies that would add more color to his already beautiful composition.
While I was quite anxious for the premiere considering the last-minute changes to the score and the addition of new parts to remembers, I found much joy in listening to such a lovely upbeat composition that succeeded in achieving a beautiful blend between the string instruments and the bright flute. To my surprise, the additions were perfectly executed during the premiere of Edwin’s piece, almost as if they had rehearsed it the same way a multitude of times prior. I watched as all four incredibly talented musicians performed the piece with every single alteration added before my own eyes, with no visible hesitation.
What also caught my eye was the beautiful technique and tone of the flutist and how she managed to blend her sound so perfectly into the sounds of the guitars and cello. As she effortlessly played her complex runs and rhythms, she kept a steady intonation between her and the strings and blended into the rich sounds they were offering. As a flute player myself, I found myself captivated by how unique this blend of sounds was and fell in love with Edwin’s choice of instrumentation and blends of melodies.
Watching this premiere live with the pleasure of viewing the dress rehearsal, made me realize how similar it played out to that of L’Orfeo because of the last minute changes and additions added before the premiere. While Edwin was not scrambling to find a Cello member last second, I think the way that they were both able to successfully and brilliantly pull of a spectacular performance proves just how talented and gifted both composers and their performers are. In addition, I think Edwin’s beautiful choice of instrumentation is similar to that of Berlioz and his use of instruments like the serpent. While the serpent is nothing similar to the classical flute, both composers did an amazing job at picking instruments that would successfully achieve the intended feel and story behind their orchestrations and I find myself incredibly lucky to have viewed this premiere live and in-person.
