The San Diego Symphony presents The Romeros: Royal Family of
Guitar from May 16th to May 19th, 2013. The Romero
Quartet started in the 1960 based upon the idea of the father Celedonio Romero
and his sons. After the group’s father passed away in 1996 he was replaced by
his grandson to keep the family tradition alive. The Romeros are a beautiful example of classical
guitar that provides sweet sensation to the ears. You almost feel as though you
are in Spain. Tapas anyone?
The Romeros are also known as The Royal Family of Guitar as
their music delves into traditional Spanish style of strings. The New York
Times states their opinion of the classical guitar group as "Collectively,
they are the only classical guitar quartet of real stature in the world today;
in fact, they virtually invented the format." They have traveled the world
and sold out a great many performances. Admirers include thousands of people ranging
from Ed Sullivan to Pope John Paul II.
JahJa Ling was the music director of the evening. He is now
an American citizen of Chinese descent. He began playing the piano in his
toddler years, earned the Rockefeller grant to study music thereafter earning a
master’s degree. He founded the San
Francisco Youth Orchestra as well as the Cleveland Youth Orchestra. At present,
he is the music director at the San Diego Symphony. You can see his seasoned
skill by the graceful movements of his baton.
The history of a quartet is an interesting one that ranges
back to old Europe. Symphonies were designed for public consumption while
chamber music was more for private audiences in wealthy aristocratic homes. At
the end of the Eighteenth Century, string quartets emerged as a leading chamber
music form. The use of string instruments was easy to transport as well as easy
to manage.
Using string music avoided problems with blending multiple
instruments into a single music chord. Having less than four players limited
the types of music that could be played while using more than four players
created acoustic blending problems. It helped to avoid monotonous tones
stemming from using the same instrument over and over. The quartet is more common today for public
audiences as well as background music in restaurants.
You can see the presentation at the beautiful Copley Hall.
It is worth visiting at least once in your lifetime. It maintains its old world
charm with artistic design, style, and artisanship being apparent. Tiles in the
ceiling, large hanging paintings, and an acoustically designed auditorium are
part of its charm. If you seek a flutter of musical mastery then purchase your
tickets for new shows.
