May 10, 2001 vol.35, no.26
2001: A Guitar Odyssey
A Presentation of the UC Santa Cruz
Department of Music
Leah Glaser
Music Desk Writer
I have been
playing guitar for three years now, but I haven't really been
playing. I struggle and complain, hardly understanding why I even
play the instrument. It's not that I'm tired of the instrument or
that I'm not improving, I just lack inspiration.
This was true until last Wednesday, May 2, where my desire to
play reemerged. It happened when I embarked upon 2001: A
Guitar Odyssey, part of the UC Santa Cruz Festival of
Contemporary Music.
Experimenting with a stunning range of styles, guitar infused
musical scenes were formulated exquisitely throughout the
presentation. Featuring Benjamin Verdery, Mesut Ozgen, and the
UCSC Guitar Orchestra, Guitar Odyssey focused mainly on pieces
written by Verdery.
Classical guitarist Verdery kicked off the show with "A
Little Prince Sweet," an arrangement of three Prince songs
mixed with an interpretation of classical guitar techniques. A
new system of digital delay was used in two pieces.
"Soepa" made one guitarist sound as if there was three
or four, taking the audience through incredible musical loops.
The most beautiful piece of the night was "Prelude and
Wedding Dance," written by Verdery for his wife. Beginning
and ending softly, Verdery brought the music up through the song
with a feeling of a full circle dance.
During the second half of the show, Ozgen played one of Verdery's
pieces named "For Those Who Came Before Us." A
three-part piece with unusual guitar effects and irregular spurts
of Latin rhythms turned into a spiraling showcase of lightning
fast finger work and distinct strumming.
Friends since 1989 from their days of studying music together at
Yale, the two followed with a duo composed by Verdery about four
cities and the feelings he got from traveling through them.
"Capitola, CA, Mobile, AL, Miami, FL, Milwaukee, WI,"
are very different and original depictions of the cities,
reflecting his view of the flavor and colors of each city.
The final piece, and perhaps the most impressive, was "Pick
and Roll." An elaborate scheme, written by Verdery, and
directed by Ozgen, "Pick and Roll" involved the UCSC
guitar orchestra, a saxophone, two violins, and a basketball
player.
The performance can not be described in words. Try to picture a
basketball player dribbling rhythmically across the stage, ending
with an anticipated slam-dunk. Strategically, a violinist and
saxophonist were placed in different parts of the concert hall,
making their entrance unforeseen.
"Pick and Roll" took months to prepare. Constant
adjustments were made to improve the performance because of the
extreme difficulty in keeping rhythm between a basketball and an
entire orchestra.
I walked out of the recital hall amazed and inspired. Verdery, an
extraordinary compositionist and musician, was only enhanced by
Ozgen's gifted playing ability. Watching their fingers move
flawlessly up and down the fret boards reminded me why I began
playing guitar in the first place.
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