Classical Guitar Concert

Awhile back, the ladies in our family had the opportunity to attend a classical guitar concert. Since Rubia is learning how to play the acoustic guitar—and we own a classical guitar—we were especially interested when we heard about the concert.

Paul Vondiziano is a very talented musician! I was amazed at how quickly he was able to move his hands and fingers while he played. Most of the songs he played used plucking versus strumming. The neat part was that he didn’t use picks!

He played some music by Luis de Milán and Bach. He also played two suites that he composed himself. One of them—excuse me for being blunt—was NOT enjoyable. It was atonal and rather depressing. The other one was much more upbeat and more pleasing to listen to.

We had an interesting conversation on the way home about interpreting art forms. We do not believe that art can ever be neutral; it always expresses something about us and even about our philosophy and theology. When we listened to the atonal, dirge-sounding song, it may have been reflecting something going on in the life of the composer at that time. He wrote the piece almost 20 years ago; he said it was a time when he was “searching.” Perhaps he was searching for the peace that comes through a relationship with Christ. He may have been experiencing trials of the world that led him to write such a disjointed, agitated piece of music. His more recent piece reflected a more centered, serene state of mind and heart.

We were glad that we had the opportunity to go to the concert! It makes me wish I was better at playing the guitar! J