There were moments during Jason Vieaux’s homecoming show inside UB’s Slee Hall on Saturday night where the audience didn’t know what to do. They bore witness to a jaw-dropping display of dexterity and musical vision from one of the world’s preeminent classical guitarists, but each movement appeared to take as much out of them as the man himself. When applause felt appropriate, another note, breath, or change in tempo would arise to make them question everything they had just experienced.
In other words, Vieaux did such a masterful job running the emotional gamut of all four compositions that no one knew when something was over until he gave them a non-verbal cue.
His arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite #1, BWV 1007 kicked things off with gusto, as his right hand was achieving an ethereality in tone that my 15-year-old self could have only dreamt of. He knew when to go all in and when to pull back, which is indicative of someone in complete control of their limbic system.
The middle section of the performance is where Vieaux really strutted his stuff, because Leo Brouwer’s El Decameron Negro and Pat Metheny’s Four Paths of Light gave him a chance to showcase why his reputation is well-earned. Picking, phrasing, timing, projection of the sound etc. All present and all delivered beautifully with his expression during El Decameron Negro embodying the defiance of the narrative especially well.
I don’t know if Vieaux stuck around for the reception afterwards, but I certainly wouldn’t fault him if he didn’t. What he played was anything but easy and worthy of a period of decompression.
When Associate Professor of Guitar Dr. Sungmin Shin gave his introductory remarks early on, his enthusiasm regarding all of the music-related events on campus was palpable, and, given that Vieaux’s show was my second time at Slee Hall in a month, I share his excitement about what the future holds.
Music N' Other Drugs 
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