True elegance is a rare commodity, as hard to find in concerts as elsewhere in modern life. On Saturday night at the Ethical Society, guitarist Carlos Pérez performed a recital filled with musical elegance and understatement.

This was the Chilean native's second appearance in St. Louis under the auspices of the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society. His program ranged from the Baroque to the contemporary, from Spain, Italy and Germany to Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil.

Some of the pieces were written for aristocratic courts; others were very much of the New World. All were performed with understated grace; Pérez used his impressive technical chops not to overwhelm but to seduce the listener.

Pérez opened his program with a handful of the 70 pieces in "Cifras Selectas de guitarra" by Santiago de Murcia (1673-1739), a court musician in Madrid. "Cifras" was discovered in manuscript form in Santiago, Chile, in 2004.

The five short pieces — in different styles but each given a distinctly Spanish twist — were, in turn, quiet, sweet, upbeat, mournful and charming. The intricacy of the last of them, "Carnarios," might have tempted some interpreters to flash, but Pérez played it as he did the others, with subtle artistry.

"Deux Andantes," by the Italian composer Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841), were beautiful and delicate works. Four dances — two tangos, a samba and a waltz — by Ernesto Nazareth (1863-1934) and transcribed by Pérez, reflected the composer's Brazilian heritage, and received a hearty reading.

The second half opened with his transcription of J.S. Bach's second cello suite (BWV1008), given delicate and sensitive playing. The next group, three concert pieces by the Argentine composer Julio Sagreras (1879-1942), made for an ideal contrast with the Bach, especially its enjoyable concluding tango.

"Preludios Epigramaticos" 1, 2 and 4 by Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) and two pieces by Augustin Barrios (1917-1986), "Mazurka apasionata" and "Maxixa" brought the evening to a bright, happy end.