LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET
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“The world’s hottest classical ensemble or its tightest pop band? However it helps you to think about the LAGQ, keep the emphasis on superlatives for its unrivaled joy, technical elan and questing spirits.”
Click on each thumbnail photo for a high-res version. Photo credit: Adam Almeida
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For over four decades on the concert stage, the Grammy® Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) has continually set the standard for expression and virtuosity among guitar ensembles, while perennially exploring new musical landscapes. The charismatic LAGQ, is recognized as one of America’s premier instrumental ensembles and consistently play to sold-out houses worldwide. Their critically acclaimed transcriptions of concert masterworks provide a fresh look at the music of the past, while their interpretations of works from the contemporary and world-music realms continually break new ground. Latin, African, Far East, Irish, Folk and American influenced works transport listeners around the world in a single concert experience.
BACH TO BRASIL
In 2023, the LAGQ welcomed newest member, Douglas Lora. Douglas’ eclectic style and broad musical interests dovetail beautifully with the LAGQ tradition of embracing music from around the globe and across the centuries. The new formation of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will highlight Douglas with a program entitled “Bach to Brazil”. Featuring some of their most popular pieces from the Telarc release “LAGQ: Brasil”, it includes works by Jobim, Villa-Lobos, Clarice Assad and Hermeto Pascoal, as well as Douglas’ composition Maracasalsa, presenting the traditional Brazilian dance maracatú in the form of a Baroque fugue. Rounding out the program, LAGQ will present a new arrangement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Danse Négre, works by Bach, Beethoven, Copland, and Opals by Australian composer Phillip Houghton, the feature track of their new release “Opalescent”
JOURNEY TO THE EAST
Reconnecting to the traditional styles that established them as masters of classical guitar, LAGQ traverses Eastern Europe with a spirited program of concert favorites. From the shores of the Danube to the vast Steppes of Russia, this program includes Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2 and Stravinsky's Pulcinella and likely features Bartok, Prokofiev, and young Bulgarian composer Ourkouzounov, along with gypsy folk music from Hungary and the Balkans.
AMERICAN GUITAR MASTERS
The Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet continues their exploration of music from around the globe, this time turning their focus towards some of the most innovative guitar masters from the US. The centerpiece of this program is a monumental new work written for them by jazz legend Pat Metheny: “Road to the Sun,” a tone poem filled with his trademark grooves, haunting melodies, and rich extended harmonies. Tunes by artists as diverse as Chet Atkins, Hendrix, and Zappa will showcase LAGQ’s stylistic range, and a set of “Country Classics” will certainly raise the barn. The program is rounded out with lyrical “Chorale” by fingerstyle master Fred Hand.
The LAGQ's collaborations with others result in brilliant performances, including:
Andrew York's "By Chants" inspired by Native American themes and Shingo Fujii's "SHIKI: Seasons of Japan," both written for the LAGQ plus guitar orchestra, continue to connect communities across the nation.
The Rodrigo “Concierto Andaluz” and Sergio Assad’s “Interchange”, written specifically for them, help draw diverse audiences to orchestral programs around the world. Among highlights for the group is their recent Philadelphia Orchestra debut.
Reprisal performances and a Grammy-nominated recording with award-winning choir Conspirare of Nico Muhly's mesmerizing "All the Things You Are" paired with choral works by Reena Esmail and Kile Smith.
Latin Romance with vocalist and flamenco dancer(s), perfect for Summer festivals or to bring a little heat to a cold winter's night (popular during Valentine's Week).
In addition to the Grammy award-winning “Guitar Heroes” CD and the Grammy-nominated "LAGQ-Latin," their recent releases include "New Renaissance" and Rodrigo's “Concierto Andaluz” paired with Sergio Assad’s Latin Grammy-nominated “Interchange,” which quickly climbed to the top spot on the Billboard charts. Their eagerly anticipated “OPALESCENT” recording was released in 2022 and is an outstanding addition to their 2021 collaborative releases, "The Singing Guitar" ( 2022 Grammy Nominee Best Choral Performance), and "Road To The Sun" (#1 Apple Music Classical Chart).