Recital, the latest recording from the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ), contains primarily transcriptions of well-known and lesser-known works by prominent 19th and 20th century composers. There has been a long-standing debate in the guitar world about the value of such transcriptions, relative to compositions written specifically for the guitar. My feeling is that if the piece is good, the arrangement is faithful to the music, and the performance is of high quality—then relax and enjoy it. Recital opens with a transcription of Rossini's Barber of Seville Overture. The LAGQ uses a wide variety of tonal colors to delineate the parts, which is crucial to capturing the character of the piece. Except for the ending rasgueados, which attempt to imitate the climax of an orchestra, the transcription works well. This recording of the Barber of Seville Overture works better than the transcription for two guitars by Michael Newman and Laura Oltman (A Night at the Opera, MHS 512157L), because four guitars are able to capture the bigger sound and texture of the original orchestration.

    St. Paul's Suite by Gustav Holst was originally written for string orchestra. It is a four-movement work based on traditional Celtic and Irish themes. The personality of the piece, which includes an Irish fiddle tune and the Greensleeves melody, is well-suited for the guitar. The three pieces by Stravinsky (Tango, Pastorale and Circus Polka) are fun and quirky. Unfortunately, as with the Holst piece, these pieces are not among Stravinsky's best work. However, the Circus Polka probably wins the "Most Unique Première" award. Its first performance took place in 1942 at the Barnum and Bailey Circus, as the accompaniment to fifty ballerinas dancing on top of fifty elephants! The performance by the LAGQ certainly captures the spirit of the Circus Polka. Wayne Siegel's East L.A. Phase is an improvisatory piece based on two ostinato figures (one taken from a solo by rock keyboardist Keith Emerson). The character of this composition is similar to that of Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich. East L.A. Phase contains several engaging ideas, but struggles to sustain interest in the absence of harmonic movement.

    The only composition on this recording that was written specifically for guitar is Bulerias by Ian Krouse. This flamenco-inspired piece is characterized by energetic rasqueados and rapid-fire scale passages. It has a Spanish and Moorish feel, sounding in many ways like Falla. Unfortunately, the number of musical ideas in the piece is insufficient to sustain its fourteen-minute length. The performance of Gabriel Fauré's Pavane (Op. 50) is a beautiful interpretation and a satisfying close to this recording. The recording quality is good and the liner notes are adequate. All of the performances on this disc are characterized by precise playing, avoiding the lack of definition which can sometimes occur in a guitar quartet. One would expect no less from William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, Andrew York and John Dearman—four guitarists of impressive talent. Since most of the pieces on this recording have not been previously transcribed for guitar, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is to be commended for introducing them into the guitar repertoire.