Italian guitarist sets high standard on guitar playing
Italian guitarist sets high standard on guitar playing
JP/18/GUITAR
checked --JSR
Desiderio plucks memorable performance out of thin air
M. Taufiqurrahman
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
British music magazine Classical Guitar wrote in its 1992
edition that, like pasta, pizza and extra virgin oil, guitar
player Aniello Desiderio was another piece of good news from
Italy.
High praise indeed, which Desiderio lived up to during an
evening performance early last week at Dutch Cultural Center
Erasmus Huis, South Jakarta.
During the outstanding solo performance, Desiderio displayed
superb guitar-playing skill, producing a rich sonic palette
enough to sound as though an ensemble were playing.
Desiderio used his guitar -- without any electrical
amplification -- to charm the audience, which up until that night
had learned about his reputation from word of mouth.
The sounds that came from his guitar exuded warmth and organic
tonality that made him more than just a virtuoso.
None of the pieces performed was ever monotonous; rather, they
offered a polyphonic spree, stimulating all the senses in the
audience.
The guitarist's religious way of playing his instrument was in
itself a major draw in the show.
Before starting to play, Desiderio spent a moment composing
himself whiling taking a deep breath -- at times disrupted by the
buzzing of cell phones belonging to boorish members of the
audience who had forgotten to turn off their gadgets, or the
shower of white light that came from the entrance, opened for
concertgoers who had not made it on time.
What resulted from such concentration was Desiderio's heavenly
strumming, which made a powerful impact on each composition.
In Three Sonatas, an arpeggio-laden composition by Italian
composer Domenico Scarlatti (1685 to 1757), the first three notes
resounded very clearly before fading into thin air.
In the latter parts of the composition, Desiderio wasted no
time flaunting his craft, working from the lowest to the highest
register of the guitar at breathtaking pace, leaving the audience
numb in their seats, so sometimes they applauded prematurely out
of sheer astonishment.
In the wake of the sonatas, Desiderio presented a three-part
transcription of a piano-based composition from Spanish composer
Isaac Albeniz.
Starting with flamenco-tinged Asturias, the suite went on to
paint delightful tone-pictures in Cadiz and Sevilla.
The first part may even be familiar with casual classic rock
fans.
It was used extensively as the basic melody for the Doors'
piece Spanish Caravan, a 1968 hit off the band's third record,
Waiting for the Sun.
Desiderio is himself a classic rock fan, who has much
admiration for British progressive rock outfit Pink Floyd.
After the one-hour-plus performance, the audience left the
Erasmus Huis auditorium nodding their agreement about the
reputation of Desiderio.
The 35-year old musician is a disciple of Cuban composer Leo
Brouwer and has been dubbed an "enfant prodige" and a
"wunderkind" for his exceptional skill.
He has bagged dozens of awards at international guitar
competitions. Among these was first prize at the 1988
International Guitar Competition in Tokyo, Japan.