Music@RushHour provides a moment of tranquility

On Wednesday evening,  the newest edition of Music@RushHour — a weekly concert series presented by USC Thornton School of Music — presented their classical guitar showcase to an intimate crowd of students, faculty and others at the Ramo Recital Hall.

The program was launched five years ago, and hosts events each week with  different themes. Previous events have included a classical string series and a jazz ensemble as well as more contemporary themes such as a cello and piano duet that featured LGBTQ composers.

The musicians include a variety of Thornton graduate students as well as some talented undergraduates. Jaxon Williams, a doctoral student studying classical guitar, has directed and organized the event since Fall 2017.

“It’s a good way for students to connect and relax during the madness of rush hour,” Williams said. “Oftentime in the school of music, students are separated by the kind of instrument they play and this gives them an opportunity to come together and meet other people.”

The first artist of the night was Josh Moore, a doctoral student studying classical guitar. He performed “A Fancy, P.6” by J. Dowland, “Prelúdio de Atenas” by A. G. Abril and “Capricho de Goya No.2 ‘Tal Para Cual’” by M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco. “Capricho de Goya No.2 ‘Tal Para Cual’” is a part of a series by Castelnuovo-Tedesco that is inspired by 24 pieces of art by Capricho de Goya. “Preludio de Atenas,” which translates to “Prelude to Athens,” is part of a trio of songs dedicated to different cities.

Saro Babikian, a junior majoring in classical guitar and the second artist of the evening, performed “Tres Apuntes” by L. Brouwer, “Sonata K. 239” by D. Scarlatti and “El Ultimo Recuerdo” by  R. Dyens. “El Ultimo Recuerdo” incorporated the tremolo technique that gives the illusion of sustained sound. The tremolo accompanied the melody the entire time, giving the piece another dimension.

Aaron Haas, a doctoral student studying classical guitar, was the final performer. He performed three of the four movements of “Sonata Romantica” by M. M. Ponce.

“Ponce was a master imitator and was able to generate writing styles of different composers, but all of his pieces have a distinct Ponce element,” Haas said. “His work was very much his own despite his imitation.”

“Sonata Romantica” was inspired by Franz Schubert’s piano sonatas. Much like said sonatas, the first part, “Allegro non troppo,” was a classic three structured movement, the second part, “Adante,” was slower, while the third was an animated and faster dance movement.

The theme of next Wednesday’s performance will be Super Piano Brothers, headlined by Wesley Chu, a doctoral candidate in musical arts who is the recipient of the USC International Artist Fellow.

Chu is also the founder of a YouTube channel of the same name where he and collaborators compose and transcribe music from a wide variety of media, including video games. Next week’s performance will feature video game music for two pianos.

“I want to make this about more than Thornton,” Williams said. “There’s people in every school that love video games. It’s a cool way for people to come in and blend all interests together.”

Music@RushHour occurs on select Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Ramo Recital Hall. The event is free and open to all.