Guitar Review
September 1, 2001
By: Kristoffer Ricat
Every so often a young guitarist of exceptional talent appears on the concert circuit and the word “prodigy” makes the rounds. Sometimes it is justified; often it is questionable; many times it is simply not true. When used (as it so often is) in regards to Jorge Caballero it is an understatement. A native of Peru who now resides in New York City, Mr. Caballero came to international attention a the age of 19 as the winner of the 1996 Naumburg International Competition. His technique is nothing short of perfect and the breadth of his musical understanding reaches far beyond his years, often while performing some of the guitar’s most difficult repertoire. In a concert I witnessed at Merkin Concert Hall, he proved equally at home with Narvaez, Bach, Asencio, or Berio. About a year later I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at another performance in New York where Mr. Caballero performed the complete solo lute suites (BWV 995, 996, 997, 1006a) and Prelude, Fugue and Allegro (BWV 998) of J.S. Bach, a monumental task by any standard – and in both cases the audience was left static. Back To Reviews |
