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If you weren’t there, you really missed it. I would call it “Family and Friends.”
The Long Beach Symphony, pared-down to the size of a classical-era orchestra, performed C.P.E. Bach’s F major Symphony (1780) and Haydn’s 104th Symphony in D major (1795), followed by the Pepe Romero premier of the Medea Concerto for Guitar by his long-time friend and fellow flamenco guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar.
Carl Philip Emanuel Bach was the fifth of 20 children of Johann Sebastian Bach, his mother being Maria Barbara Bach, J.S. Bach’s first wife. In both the pre-concert lecture and during the concert, Maestro Eckhart Preu explained C.P.E. Bach was the man between style eras, sometimes writing in the Baroque style of his father but also championing the new style, which we now know as Classical.
C.P.E. Bach’s F major Symphony was actually a later work of his, but still in three movements, with fairly abrupt endings, which gave Preu the opportunity to not pause between movements. Maestro Preu also said the new style would have movements with two contrasting themes (he called them “characters”) rather than one, which would contribute to musical contrasts called “Sturm und Drang” (Storm and Stress).
The first movement’s first rigorous theme may have influenced Mozart in his “Marriage of Figero” overture some six years later. Of C.P.E. Bach, Mozart said, “He is the father, we are the children.”
The harpsichord, which was part of earlier ensembles and part of the C.P.E. Bach piece, was left onstage as two clarinets, two bassoons and two trumpets were added for the Haydn symphony. The two timpani (kettle drums), important to the Haydn symphony, were already in place.
Haydn’s 104th employs sustained drone/pedal point sections and comically placed forzando chords, techniques eventually used fully decades later by Beethoven. The third (fast minuet) and fourth movements have beautifully floating flute solos, here well played by Principal Flutist Heather Clark. The main theme of the last movement is actually a Croatian folk song (loosely translated as “Red Hot Buns”), which Maestro Preu referred to as a “peasant” song.
Intermission was relatively uneventful. All sorts of percussion instruments were added to the stage, including a cajon. The cellist/guitarist platform was in place and Pepe Romero was given a really comfy looking piano bench on which to sit.
During the pre-concert lecture, Romero talked about how flamenco was the remnant of the Moor and Jewish cultures removed in 1480s Spain. Klezmer musicians are likely to recognize that much of Spanish music is based on the Freygish mode (such as “Hava Nagila”).
Also in that lecture, Romero reminisced on a party decades ago in Spain where his friend Manolo Sanlúcar sang a melody that eventually became the theme of the middle movement of the concerto.
Romero carried a very special-looking guitar; as it turns out, crafted by his son Pepe Romero Jr. The top is cedar (Western Canada) and the back and sides are striped Brazilian rosewood, according to Pepe Romero Jr. himself.
It turns out the idea of presenting the Medea Concerto was Preu’s idea. However, a few years ago a battered score was all that Preu had. It was up to Romero to hunt down parts and such in Spain. Preu did the necessary editing. It was all worth it. But, as this was essentially a new work, Romero didn’t have it memorized — it was fascinating watching him turn pages.
According to Preu, none of the movements have titles. In most movements, the guitar rarely plays the melody but a counterpoint in flamenco style. This makes the guitar an observer. I liked that.
The first movement is basically a guajira with alternating 3/4 and 6/8 measures (such as “America” in West Side Story or the Jazz standard “Afro-Blue”).
The second movement is really special. It rivals the second movement of the famous and staple second movement of the Rodrigo concerto. But, wait, there is a very special oboe solo played by Principal Oboist Rong-Huey Liu. And more — there’s guitar and cello duet, expertly played by Romero and Principal Cellist Cécilia Tsan.
The last movement is basically a fandango. Missing is perhaps the characteristic castanets, but having five percussionists otherwise was a treat, especially in the loud passages.
The applause never seemed to stop, prompting Romero to return with an encore. He announced that his mother would have wanted him to play this piece, his father’s (Celedonio Romero, 1913-1996) “Cuban Fantasy,” as an encore. So, he sat and re-tuned the low string to D and played to the awe of the audience.
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