L.A. Guitar Quartet Seasonal, Worldly

As traditions go, classical guitar is just limited enough to force musicians with any degree of curiosity to forage elsewhere for nourishment. The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, local players whose international reputation is steadily expanding, seems to relish the searching process, as heard in concert Saturday at El Camino College.

This was a program everyone could love: resourceful, unorthodox and yet always perfectly accessible. That balance summarizes the charm of the concert’s seasonal centerpiece, Andrew York’s refreshingly new-sounding four-guitar adaptation of “The Nutcracker.” Here is a concept piece that sounds glib on paper, tickles the ear on first listen but also grows in interest with repeated hearings. Could it be a Los Angeles yuletide tradition in the making?

Bearing the cheeky subtitle “World Tour,” the concert’s second half showcased music influenced by extra-classical, non-Western influences--a preview of the quartet’s forthcoming debut CD for the Sony Classical label. On his pieces, guitarist William Kanengiser cleverly experimented with prepared guitars, attaching objects to the strings to emulate the sounds of gamelan and mbira, while guitarist York’s propulsive, African-inspired “Djembe” featured guest drummer Tim Timmermans on the instrument of the same name.

Guest clarinetist Leo Chelyapov added spice and nuance to a klezmer medley, and Brazilian Paulo Bellinati’s “A Furioso” proved to be a concert highlight, in terms of its fluid invention and melodic swagger within the guitar quartet format.

There were a few errant notes along the way, mainly in “The Nutcracker,” but they were noticeable mainly because of the general tightness of the group’s weave. The musicians sing as one. In all, it was another striking evening of music by a stellar chamber group that continues to make its namesake burg proud.