I recently attended a concert entitled Masterpieces of the Guitar. The concert was performed by a solo artist named Robert Wetzel. The concert was presented by The Grossmont Guitar Guild, it was held at the Cuyamaca College of Performing Arts on October 29, 2012. This report will detail my experience and give an accurate, unbiased review of “Masterpieces of the Guitar.”
Before the performance began I had the opportunity to sample the program and read through it thoroughly. The most important thing I learned from the program was information about the artist performing. I also learned about some of the music being performed.
Pertaining to the artist performing his solo act, Robert Wetzel, he has a rich history in music. According to the program he began studying guitar at the young age of fifteen. He studied under master guitarist’s Angel Romero, Pepe Romero and Celedonio Romero. If you couldn’t already tell, all three of his masters were related and he considers himself part of this lineage. Today, he is a resident of San Diego, California. In addition to his performances with the guitar he also teaches music at San Diego State University, Grossmont College, Southwestern College and the University of California.
I also learned, from the program about the songs I was about to hear performed by Wetzel. The artists listed include: Milan, Narvaez, Frescobaldi, Scarlatti,, Bach, Schumann, Debussy, Satie, Ravel, Moreno-Torroba, Tansman and Presti. I think this was important because it gave me a better understand of what I was about to hear, and really set the tone for the entire evening.
I think overall the program was informative; it gave me a really good impression of Wetzel, and what to expect. I think a little bit more detail related to the numbers being performed (perhaps a brief history besides a date). But, again, overall it was a very simple and precise program that got the job done.
The performance itself was pretty good. I’ve certainly heard better performances in my time, but I think Wetzel did a good job with the material he presented. He certainly presented himself as a knowledgeable and well versed guitarist. As a solo act, he had no composer to direct him and keep time. These are things solo-artists usually must do on their own. Wetzel did a good job with this. He kept time well and rhythm well. Had he not, it would have been very noticeable, and it was something I was looking out for.
No words were spoken in the performance. It was an act purely of guitar and sound, not of spoken words or for that matter words at all. This makes it more difficult to engage the audience, given the circumstances; I believe Wetzel still did a good job. Perhaps a little singing may have lightened the mood a little and made the whole performance more worthwhile.
Wetzel, while performing did a good job keeping tempo (as mentioned above). Important to this fact, was his movements. He hunched over his guitar to play, arching his back, back and forth to match the melody and sounds coming out of his guitar. It was almost as if he was moving with the music. His movements were seemingly perfect and flowed well with his composition.
As for the music itself, none of the music was composed by Wetzel himself. Instead it was composed by the following artists: Milan, Narvaez, Frescobaldi, Scarlatti,, Bach, Schumann, Debussy, Satie, Ravel, Moreno-Torroba, Tansman and Presti. It was all classical in origin. The music dated from between the fifteenth century to the twentieth century. This made the performance also a little bit more contemporary.
The music was varied in where it came from. The order seemed to be ordered chronologically, although it wasn’t truly chronological, it was more along the lines of being ordered in a way that made the music flow in the best possible order while also attempting to be as chronologically correct as possible. The sound of the music, itself wasn’t very varied. It technically was, and definitely had different sounds and tempo to the songs. But it all flowed so well, that the variation I should’ve picked up on seemed seamless.
The performance was pretty entertaining. I enjoyed his music, and I appreciated his selection of songs. As for being engaged in Wetzel’s performance, I wouldn’t say that it was entertaining enough to really make me feel a part of the act. I was engaged, but not enough as I was hoping to be.
As I conclude this review of Wetzel’s performance, I’m asked the question “Would I go to see this performer again?” This question irks me. At the moment I believe I wouldn’t go see Wetzel again. Wetzel’s performance was good; I found it to be somewhat enjoyable. I enjoyed his selection in music, and he performed them well. Even still, something about his performance just didn’t seem correct. I really can’t put my finger on what the issue was, but for some reason I just feel n inclination to go see him. Perhaps with time, I’ll grow to appreciate his performance even further and I may change my mind regarding the matter. For now, the answer will remain “no.” Although, I would recommend my friends and family go see his performance. Perhaps they can bring some new perspective on his performance, which I missed, hopefully changing my mind.