Spanish guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas enthusiastically declares: "this concert will go down in history".
It refers to the Guitar Concerto Mystic and profane which the Mexican composer Arturo Márquez wrote for him and both will premiere in Mexico this weekend (July 5 and 6 at the Nezahualcóyotl Concert Hall) during the inaugural program of the Summer Season of the Sinfónica de Minería.
It seems, at first glance, a bold statement.
So the first question of this exclusive interview to Pablo Sainz-Villegas Pablo Sainz-Villegas is an invitation to explain it.
Mystic and profane concert by Arturo Márquez: his creation
Why do you think the Guitar Concerto, Mystic and Profaneby Arturo Márquez will go down in history?
"Because he explores the dualities of the human soul with moving depth. And to do so he also explores the expressive limits of the guitar with great sensitivity".
Were you involved in the writing process of the solo part?
"Márquez confessed to me that he had a dream of writing a concerto for guitar and orchestra. In his work, except for a part of Danzón No. 3, there is no guitar. I went to his house in Tepoztlán and there he learned the instrument through my hand. The result was a mutual process of admiration and curiosity where we reflected each other.
And the orchestration?
"We made a joint tour through different orchestrations with solo guitar. From the cajón repertoire, such as the one by Joaquín Rodrigoto lesser-known repertoire. I would say that Márquez's orchestration is very careful, very colorful, very pointillist. He also achieves an extraordinary thing: that after listening to this music, the listener returns home humming it.
The three movements of the Mystic and Profane Concerto
Could you describe each of the three movements that make up this guitar concerto?
"1.- Encountertwo cultures that shake hands through this concert. Celebrating the peoples and the concord between peoples. Music as an expression of union. Transcending dualisms. There are two contrasting ideas that come together, one is a tremendously dramatic theme, with a lot of strumming; the other, a monodic theme of extreme sensitivity, as if it were a caress".
"2.- Pious SerenadeA wonderful prayer of a mystical depth that takes you to places of introspection. It highlights a simply magical clarinet theme. I know it is a favorite instrument of the composer that he saves for special moments".
"3.- Differences on the romanescaThe romanesca is a popular dance of the XVIth century in ternary rhythm. This celebration with an orchestration full of colors".
Performance of the Guitar Concerto by Arturo Márquez
The concert that Arturo Márquez dedicates to you poses from the very title a tension between the Dionysian and the Apollonian. At the expressive level, how do you approach this duality in the interpretation? What technical and even emotional resources are required to transmit atmospheres that at times seem irreconcilable?
"These are dimensions that we all have. On an emotional and personal level, it's about delving deeper. Both exist in the human being. As an artist, I look inward. I explore those limits. You use such dramatic resources as strumming in very high-pitched positions to very subtle whispers. When the clarinet enters, in the second movement, you are floating. Mysticism is expressed through simplicity. The concerto, like good music of excellencemanages to convey that ethereal magic, that prayer, that prayer that is more ethereal than material. More as a joke, I would also say that I am a Gemini and well, we have these dualities that allow us to go to extremes".
The guitar of Pablo Sainz-Villegas
In the violin field it is common for players to proudly refer to the origin of their instrument -their luthier, the year of manufacture, the school of construction-, considering it an essential part of their sound identity. Does something similar happen in the classical guitar world?
"My guitar is an extension of myself. After so many years together, we have developed a unique symbiosis that goes beyond the merely technical.
Unlike violins, which can retain their quality for centuries, guitars have a limited lifespan. They bear between 18 and 20 kilos of constant string tension, and that pressure on the soundboard means that after 50, 70 or 100 years they gradually lose their expressive faculties. That is why old guitars end up as museum pieces that have lost their artistic potential.
Most professional guitarists work with modern instruments, and mine has a special history. It was love at first sight when I discovered a guitar luthier German guitar luthier 30 years ago. German guitar maker 30 years ago. There is something indefinable that immediately connected me with that instrument. Since then, I have always worked with guitars from the same craftsman, from Passau.
In 2007 he offered me a new guitar, and that personal relationship with the luthier has become fundamental. An instrument needs to be played to stay alive, and over time the guitar adapts to the sound of its player. This creates something unique and unrepeatable: a sound that is uniquely ours".
Pablo Sainz-Villegas: message to the Mining public
"Music exists by and for the audience. Without someone to listen to it, there really is no music. It's that presence, that shared energy that gives life and meaning to what we do. That's why the live music experience is absolutely unrepeatable. Each concert is unique, unrepeatable. Live music has the power to thrill, to transport you to places you never knew existed inside you. It surprises you, inspires you, transforms you in ways you can't even anticipate."
By way of a finale, guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas invites music lovers to the inaugural program of the 2025 Summer Season of the Sinfónica de MineríaI invite you not to miss the Concierto para guitarra Místico y profano by Arturo Márquez, and the other two works that complement the concert: Téenek by the great Gabriela Ortiz and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances, all under the baton of maestro Carlos Miguel Prieto".
