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Devin Matthews
Professor Nehre
Music History I
17 October 2013
Concert Report: Deyan Bratic, Classical Guitar

The program from St. Louis classical guitarist Deyan Bratic’s October 12 th concert at the Tavern

of Fine Arts featured an exciting variety of pieces by composers including J.S. Bach, George Gershwin,

and Enrique Granados. Much of the program consisted of pieces less common to the traditional classical

guitar repertoire; among these were arrangements of themes from Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess and

Granados’ Valses Poeticos for piano. Bratic also played several pieces by classical guitar composers

Jorge Morel, Sergio Assad, and Roland Dyens. The concert venue, a wine bar and café which features

nightly live music performances, provided a comfortable, relaxed, and altogether less formal setting than

the traditional concert hall or stage.

The Tavern of Fine Arts, located in the Central West End, hosts performing musicians in a small

hall where guests can dine, enjoy artwork by local artists, and listen to live music. The “stage” where the

musicians perform is at the front of the room, clearly designated by a grand piano and hardwood flooring;

the lack of elevation brings the performer closer to the audience and contributes to the more relaxed

atmosphere to the room as a performing venue. Guests and audience members are seated at sofas near the

back of the room and small tables, some of which are very close (perhaps five feet) to the stage. The

performer’s close proximity to the audience quite literally—but also psychologically—eliminates much of

the distance between the two parties and creates a more intimate atmosphere.

In addition, waiters enter and exit the room as guests are served throughout performances; though

this is done quietly and the guests’ attention is still primarily focused on the musicians, it does further

contribute to the relaxed environment. For a perspective on the noise level and size of the room, a

classical guitar (by nature a softer instrument) does not require amplification to be clearly heard even at
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the back of the room provided it is not filled to standing room only. Altogether, the layout of the venue

perhaps gives a member of the audience a more one-on-one connection with the musician; the atmosphere

may be likened to a large and familiar dinner party nearing its end, when the audience is content and

focused on the music.

The first piece on Mr. Bratic’s program was American Fantasy by Argentinian guitarist and

composer Jorge Morel. This lively piece blends early-middle twentieth-century American popular music

with elements of South American music, alternating between sections of “swing feel” and “even eighth

feel.” American Fantasy is unmistakably reminiscent of early American swing and blues (particularly

evident in the bass voice, melodies, and chord progressions of different segments), mixed artfully with

techniques more common to South American and Spanish guitar such as the rasgueado technique (a

method of strumming), pizzicato, and complex rhythms often in alternation between duple and triple

meter.

Next on the program were three themes from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, arranged by

Jorge Morel: Bess, You Is My Woman Now, Summertime, and It Ain’t Necessarily So. Though Gershwin

is not widely played on guitar, Morel’s transcriptions of his music are not the only ones available to

guitarists. This set of popular songs had the double effect of being both familiar to the audience and

perhaps a pleasant surprise to those familiar with the classical guitar repertoire. These pieces are

technically challenging as they are, essentially, movements of an opera transcribed to be played on a

single instrument; naturally this can result in many difficult voicings for the performer. This is especially

true of the very lyrical Summertime, in which the melody can easily become lost or disconnected amidst

the challenging chords. However, Mr. Bratic’s performance of these pieces was exceptional and proved a

successful example of the versatility of the classical guitar in a variety of musical styles.

Following the Gershwin was the technical and interpretive challenge of Brazilian composer

Sergio Assad’s Aquarelle. The first movement, Divertimento, is quite lengthy (about seven and a half
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minutes) and largely atonal, interspersed with sections rhythmically and harmonically characteristic of

Brazilian guitar music. The second movement is the melodic and expressive Valseana which contrasts

beautifully with the fast tempo and atonal nature of the Divertimento. The Preludio e Toccatina concludes

the set. Perhaps the most technically challenging of the three works, this piece consists of a short

improvisatory prelude which is followed by a very fast, atonal, arpeggiated toccatina.

After a generous intermission, Mr. Bratic continued the concert with French guitarist and

composer Roland Dyens’ Valse des loges, a sentimental and vaguely jazzy, improvisatory sounding

waltz. Its simple ABA form and lovely, lilting melody made this piece very easy to listen to. Following

the piece by Dyens was the Suite in E minor, BWV 996, by J. S. Bach. Originally composed for the lute,

this suite is very commonly played on guitar and consists of the following pieces: Praeludio/Presto,

Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bouree, and Gigue. The technical difficulty and perhaps length (all

together about fifteen minutes) of the suite was somewhat evident in Mr. Bratic’s playing and some

clarity of tone and phrasing was lost. However, the overall effect of the suite was still very pleasing

despite a few “hiccups” during some of the more trying passages.

The final piece on the program was Valses Poeticos by the Spanish Romantic-era composer

Enrique Granados. Originally for piano, this piece was transcribed for guitar by the British guitarist

Julian Bream. However, his transcription was never published and the version that Deyan Bratic played

was his own aural transcription of the piece based on Bream’s recording of the song. The piece consists

of eight different waltzes, each with its own distinct character. These variances are reflected in the titles

of the individual works: Vivace poeticos, Tempo de vals noble, Tempo de vals lento, Allegro humoristico,

Allegretto, Sentimental, Vivo, and Presto.

One of the most striking elements of this set is Granados’ use of a variety of colorful harmonies

which introduce some wonderfully unexpected “flavors” to the pieces. The opening waltz, Vivace,

presents a very lovely and recognizable melody which returns at the end of the set. The first several
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waltzes are quite light and charming and are, as suggested by their titles, “noble” or “humorous.” The

sixth waltz, Sentimental, is in F sharp minor and marks the climax of the set, providing a contrast with its

deeply expressive, less light-hearted nature. The energetic Vivo and Presto return the piece to its lively

character and a restatement of the first waltz’s melody brings the set to a close.

Bratic played A Night in Tunisia, by Dizzy Gilespie and arranged by Roland Dyens, as an encore

piece. This work is alternately mysterious and jazzy and begins with a series of rhythms tapped on the

guitar which are continued with the right hand as the left hand begins to tap out a melody on the strings.

The piece ends with a recap of the beginning followed by the performer detuning the low E string down a

half step and bringing it back up slowly to create a sliding effect; lastly, the final chord is articulated by

rapidly feathering the fingertips over the strings to create a whisper-like effect.

Deyan Bratic’s October 12th classical guitar concert at the Tavern of Fine Arts gave listeners an

opportunity to experience a wide variety of musical styles in a single performance at a nontraditional

concert venue. His program included Gershwin’s American classic Summertime, Bach’s Suite in E minor

for lute, and Granados’ lyrical Valses Poeticos for piano as well as original compositions for classical

guitar by Jorge Morel, Sergio Assad, and Roland Dyens. The combination of a tastefully chosen and both

skillfully and sensitively played program and the relaxed, friendly setting made this concert a wonderfully

enjoyable experience.