Hotel Mark

Oct 14 2007

Guitarte Quartet

Published by Mark

This fine guitar quartet from Mexico City consists of;

Alejandro Salcedo ( Director)
Angel Alvarez
Angel Alamilla
Eloisa Lafuente

In 1985 Alejandro, University Teacher in Mexico City, created an octet with his more advanced students, travelling and making concerts in small towns outside the City. Later, the number was reduced to a quartet.

Eloisa Lafuente joined the group in 1987.

It was my pleasure to record the following interview with Eloisa.In response to my question about the origin of the group, and present musical direction, Eloisa replied; ”Now we have matured and the group try to make new arrangements and to look for new places to play in order to make people know new types of music, different from the commercial one.”

What recordings have you made, and what are you working on at present?

Some years ago we made a recording for the Mexican Universidad Metropolitana Collection. This Is one of the most important Mexican public universities, and they used to support classical guitar. They had one of the first important competitions in Mexico and they made a series of records in which played many important guitar players at that moment. We were invited to record only one piece.. Brouwer ” Acerca del cielo el
aire y la sonrisa ” …We also made a recording for a commercial records company in which we recorded the famous Moncayo´s Huapango in a octet version and some Piazzola pieces. At the moment we are doing an independent recording in which we are playing different type of pieces. Vivaldi, Renaissance pieces, some Mexican modern composers , Piazzolla pieces and some Mexican folk music arrangements mainly made by our partner Angel Alvarez. We hope to finish it by March next year and as it is independent recording we will
have to look for the ways of letting people know the recording and distribute it.

When you record, do you play together, or record parts one at a time?

In the case of the Brouwer piece we recorded it together several times to choose the best. This way was nice because the result was kind of alive and fresh. In the case of the Huapango and the Mexican pieces arrangements who are kind of difficult to ensemble we made it separately with a back up. In the case of the other pieces we have done some parts together and some parts separated.

Aside from the quartet, I know you are also performing a play..Can you tell us a little about that please?

This is a dance play by my Friend Christa Lledías, a teacher of ancient dances. It is about dances of the time when we had the Maximiliano de Hasburga government here . Chirsta is very nostalgic about this period
because the Father of her Gran mother came to Mexico with maximilianos French army so she made this play with the elegant dances of the time and the folk ones as well. I play in the guitar these old dances while an
excellent pianist and friend Luis Guzman plays the salon dances.

Example of the arranging skill of Angel Alvarez is Fool On The Hill.mp3 arrangement of the Beatles ballad.

Here a charming Vivaldi piece, arranged by Angel; Vivaldi.mp3

Eloisa with Luis Guzman.

You have also written a book?

I wrote a textbook for high school students. Here in Mexico our prep students have a music class in which they sing for a choir or they play an instrument. The book includes the theory contents of their program and a
couple of things more like a chapter about improvisation , which I think it might be attractive for them. It was launched last month and now I am doing the presentation in several places.

You told me you begun playing the guitar aged 10..What are your main music influences, or composers you like to play most in solo reportoire?

I think I have had different favourite composers in different times of my life. I like very much Villa-Lobos, Dyens, Brouwer but I have had times of playing some ancient music and some Spanish music. I am even doing
some efforts to play flamenco.

You are a versatile lady! I also happen to know you have an on line collaboration for recordings, with a duet partner in United Kingdom..Is this something you are serious about, or just for pleasure?

Oh yes this was a very nice experience! We had very good time but I took it seriously. Unfortunately we both have a lot of work and we stopped our recording s but I hope some day we will make a new work or even better we will play together alive.