A Showcase for World-Class Guitar Virtuoso

Milwaukee Musaik closes the Milwaukee spring chamber music scene with a full chamber orchestra under the direction of Alexander (Sasha) Mandl in a program called “Guitar Grandmaster,” featuring virtuoso René Izquierdo. The diverse program showcases orchestral works ideal for chamber orchestra, including two guitar concertos spanning three centuries.

Cuban-born René Izquierdo, who directs UW-Milwaukee’s highly regarded guitar program, is widely recognized as one of the world’s classical guitar virtuosos. Izquierdo’s impressive credentials include degrees from prestigious conservatories in Cuba and the United States, numerous competition honors, and performances throughout the Americas and Europe.

The evening features four works of striking contrast yet complementary musical spirit. As conductor Mandl notes, “The composers in this program are true masters of orchestration and of condensed orchestration. They offer a spectrum of sound and sound colors ideal for highlighting the talents of the players.”

Ottorino Respighi‘s Trittico Botticelliano (1927) translates three Botticelli masterpieces into sound. Respighi takes the listener on a tour of the details in these works – literally reading the musical connections within the art. The first movement evokes Spring (La Primavera), capturing what Mandl describes as “the rustling of the leaves and everything that is moving through the trees.” The second depicts The Adoration of the Magi incorporating traditional Christmas music. The finale portrays The Birth of Venus. For the Venus movement, Mandl describes how “I’m looking at the seashore and from the ocean a huge crescendo (appears) that represents not just waves but the underlying breathing … the cycle of ebb and flow.”

Antonio Vivaldi‘s Concerto for Guitar in D major (1730-31) (originally for lute) showcases Izquierdo’s virtuosity against a restrained string backdrop. The work features a particularly expressive Largo second movement that has become a favorite in the guitar repertoire. Mandl explains that while balance between guitar and orchestra was historically challenging, today’s high-quality microphones and amplification positioned near the acoustic guitar allow “the balance problem [to become] minimized,” ensuring the guitar’s delicate voice remains clearly audible throughout.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco‘s Guitar Concerto No. 1 (1939), written for legendary guitarist Andrés Segovia, features sensitive orchestration, with strings often playing pizzicato, “allowing room for the guitar to tie the structure together,” Mandl notes. The work follows a traditional three-movement structure, opening with an elegant Allegretto in neoclassical style, followed by a lyrical Andantino alla romanza based on Italian folk melodies, and concluding with a spirited Ritmico e cavalleresco movement with Spanish influences. Mandl observes that its second movement is “a masterpiece… that almost becomes otherworldly at certain times.”

The program concludes with Jacques Ibert‘s witty Divertissement (1929-30), a six-movement suite derived from incidental music for a theatrical farce. Created during the freewheeling artistic atmosphere of 1920s Paris, the piece embodies the vibrant, eclectic spirit of the era. Mandl praises Ibert’s “circus aspect” and “burlesque styles,” noting that despite its lighthearted nature, the piece requires exceptional precision: “If something is displaced and not in the proper place, it can make or break the whole performance.”

Milwaukee Musaik offers local professional musicians opportunities to perform both rarely-presented small ensemble works and full chamber orchestra repertoire in a more personal setting than in Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performances. The group creates what Mandl describes as a chamber music ensemble collaboration, where the conductor guides rather than dictates the result.

This season finale features what Mandl calls a “guitar grandmaster” alongside many of Milwaukee’s finest orchestral musicians in an intimate chamber setting, and promises to offer exceptional music-making.

The concert takes place Saturday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:40 p.m.) at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church, 2366 N. 80th St. Tickets are priced at $35 in advance (until three hours before concert), $40 at the door, and $10 for students with ID. Free venue parking is available.