Certainly the repertory was safe: Ransom picked favorites that would remind people why they love classical music:
Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Mozart: Overture to the Magic Flute
George Walker: Lyric for Strings
Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Beethoven: Symphony 5
(All the titles above are links to the various pieces but I'm having trouble with Blogger; they might work).
René Izquierdo was the guitar soloist in the Rodrigo and he played wonderfully. We've known René for over twenty years, ever since he was a first-year grad student at the School of Music at Yale. The piece is one of my very favorites and it was a delight to hear it last night. (It ranked #27 in KUSC's recent listener survey of the 250 greatest pieces of classical music).
It was so good to hear the Copland and the Mozart; the Walker, new to me, was sumptuous. And what can one say about the Fifth? Can you hear it too many times? I think not.
Bravo Ransom, and thanks fro bringing live music back to my life.
