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HOMMAGE AU BATEAU IVRE for solo guitar
by Jose-Luis Narvaez
The piece which inspired Narvaez to compose this absorbing solo guitar composition was a 100-line poem by the 19th-century French poet, Arthur Rimbaud. Written when he was just 17 years old, this 25-verse poem was written using the “Alexandrine quatrain” scheme, which is a four-line verse, where each line has a poetic meter of 12 syllables (this doesn’t work if you translate the poem into English). The poem title translates out to “The Drunken Boat” and the poem, written in the first person, chronicles the various experiences and scenes which a boat would experience if it were full of water and sinking.
The music itself is in various sections but is played continuously as one single movement and is quite introspective and impressionistic and though the ambience for the majority of the time has a restful sensation to it, there are moments of quickness on occasion. Throughout, brief quotes from most of the verses of the poem are given (in French) to obviously influence the interpretation.
Choosing to compose a piece with the sixth string tuned down two whole tones to C gave Narvaez the opportunity to explore relatively unheard textures and these are quite effectively used in the Calmo middle section.
Altogether a most intriguing new composition all based around an interesting, if unfeasible, topic. Suitable for the more experienced player the presentation is excellent with good fingering throughout.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
LES PLANÈTES for solo guitar
by Jürg Kindle
Les Planètes is a nine-movement work, each movement representing a major planet from our own Solar System and appearing in the suite in order of distance from the Sun. Each one of the individually published pieces which make up this edition have all received separate reviews in the past from either myself or my colleague Chris Dumigan and as far as I can recall they have all been blessed with favorable reviews. Suffice it to say that here is a large-scale work for solo guitar containing some fine, clever, descriptive and inventive writing for the instrument and one which could provide one of the high-spots of any recital if played with enough conviction. Slight problems may arise in a couple of places due to the preparation involved. Jupiter for instance requires an “open” tuning of, from bass upwards, D, A, D, A, A, D (for ease of reading the piece is also given in Tablature) then it’s back to standard tuning once again for Saturn, a percussive piece requiring ten notational instructions. For the final movement, Pluto, the guitarist needs to insert a matchstick underneath the strings near to the bridge.
Is it all worth the effort? Well, yes it is. Compared to the soundscape which Gustav Holst created with his masterpiece for orchestra, Les Planètes doesn’t come close, but taken simply for what it is, a solo instrumental, the piece makes for highly entertaining listening/playing.
It is nicely presented with clearly printed notation, well fingered and an attractive front cover. Buying this complete album of the pieces rather than the individual productions will give you a saving of approximately 36 Euros.
Not to be sniffed at!
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
ANTHOLOGY - THE ENCHANTED GUITAR OF FRANCIS KLEYNJANS for solo guitar
by Francis Kleynjans
With over 700 hundred compositions behind him, the French guitarist Francis Kleynjans has to be one of the most prolific composers for the guitar in modern times. Unsurprisingly, in that proliferation there are a few disappointments in the musical standards along the way; however, it has to be said that in my experience a large percentage of his work contains lovely, albeit at times, syrupy, melodic lines and nice, pleasing harmonies.
This sizeable collection of Kleynjan’s works brings together in one volume 47 previously published editions, the majority of which were produced as separate single publications and many, if not all, have received reviews previously. (There are actually 71 compositions altogether as some of the opuses have several movements).
Herein is a miscellaneous mixture of musical styles including tango, milonga, habanera, sicilienne, samba and choro with the composer having a particular partiality to the waltz, of which there are many; there are slow and reflective compositions sitting alongside quick, rhythmic ones and most slot into the “exceedingly melodic” category.
The earliest opus number is 21 (from 1974) and the latest is 251 (from 2008).The technical standard required to play these works range from around Grade 3 up to Grade 6 and the presentation all round is excellent.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
SCHERZO A MODO MIO for mandolin and guitar
by Atanas Ourkouzounov
Here is an advanced, atonal contemporary work for mandolin and guitar the composition of which was influenced by rock music. After a brief meditative opening the work begins proper with five pages in fast and rhythmic fashion with both instruments on an equal pairing playing in unison or in imitative fashion.
During the piece many percussive technical effects are employed including pizzicato, “Bartok” pizzicato, tapping, tambour, etc. Scherzo a Modo Mio relies significantly on accentuation between the two instruments and it is in this quarter that any duo attempting this work will have to make sure everything is as it should be. If performed with enough skill and conviction, the work could make a significant impact in any concert of contemporary music. The music is presented in full score and separate parts for both players.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
ON THE ROCKS - 9 rock-inspired guitar solos
by Jürg Kindle
Swiss-born Kindle has produced of top-class music in many varieties of styles and for many different combinations over the years. This latest set emulates the many and varied musical forms taken by rock in all its different guises.
So we start off with a piece instructing the player to treat straight written quavers as a triplet rhythm of crotchet/quaver. Low bass notes are occasionally to be bent and the whole piece is very riff orientated, and dotted with parallel fourths, and octaves that leap around the fingerboard. Blue Moon, takes the note bending a stage further introducing into the treble melody. Then a series of evocative arpeggio-based runs take the piece into slightly unexpected territory, but one that really works! Derwish instructs the player to retune his fifth string to B, and the relentless nature of the semiquavers makes this exciting and one of the most tricky at the same time. Globetrotter is in a mixture of sevens and fives with a middle idea in 4/4 and an interesting little piece to boot, whilst Hot Dog and On the Rocks are more openly rock based and sound like riffs Deep Purple might have had a go at.
This is a fine set. Nothing is very difficult but it’s not very easy either, so beware. As always, this is another fine volume of quality work that should be snapped up by all lovers of this man’s music, or alternatively anyone interested in trying such rock based styles out for themselves.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
A LEAF for solo guitar
by Paul McCartney (arr. Carl Aubut)
A Leaf was written as a seven-movement piano solo in 1994 by McCartney and has been adapted for guitar by Carl Aubut. The manner, in which he decided to do so, is given in the Preface.
McCartney has written, over the recent years, a number of serious compositions including string quartet material, to full works for orchestra and choir. This solo piano work is really quite substantial and is perhaps not as well known as say his Standing Stones, or his Liverpool Oratorio that received much more wide publicity during their performances. Having not had access to the original piano work, I cannot comment on how successful the adaptation for guitar is but will have to take it on its own merits
It begins very simply with a delicate melody in triple meter against a rocking accompaniment. The second movement is slightly faster and mixes three and four beats to create a slightly uneasy lurching effect. Then an allegro ritmico in B major enters with some swiftly moving accompanying quaver passages leading to a rasgueado section interspersed with semi-quaver runs that in turn changes to a dreaming section that ends inconclusively. The andante that follows is in C sharp minor. After an opening legato chordal idea a brief foray into whole tone takes one for four bars into a Debussyan world after which we find ourselves in C major for a new idea before two enigmatic chords take us back into C sharp minor for the opening idea once more. But this time at the whole tone section we find the opening chordal theme placed over the top of the whole tone harmonies. This in turn becomes the C major idea again, and the coda returns once more to the opening idea for its conclusion. Movement 5 is a 9/8 Allegro ma non troppo running quaver idea. This pleasant enough little idea is then replaced by a rather sparsely harmonized 3/4 section with a naïve set of harmonies that failed to sound anything other than contrived, especially at the last chord that leads back to the opening idea. The two sections then play out again followed by the opening idea once more and a close on an open B. Movement 6 is a moderato little melody, very sad and beautifully worked out that becomes an oddly rocking idea where the accents are constantly shifting and the harmonies are deliberately vague. The rhythms stop and start at odd points leaving one purposely in the air. After an altered return to the opening idea, the oddly rocking section returns, pauses and then becomes the opening first movement theme from several minutes ago. This time it is shorter and only once through the idea before the piece comes to a final close on an A major chord.
Having played this several times now, I feel that it is a bit mixed. There are many sections that work really well and sound absolutely fine, and then there are one or two where one feels McCartney is stretching himself too much and the piece suffers as a result. However as a piece of guitar music it obviously has a future and it is all utterly playable by an intermediate player. Moreover as it is of quite a substantial size I feel that many will be intrigued enough to give it a try. The printing and general presentation is of course excellent as always with d’OZ.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
ALBUM FOR GUITAR for solo guitar
by Mark Houghton
Here is a nice looking album of no less than 18 short, attractive and only moderately difficult pieces from this Liverpudlian composer. There is much variety here, from ballad styles, to Latin, to baroque pastiche to little waltzes, and many more besides. Having seen many of Houghton’s pieces over the years I expect, and usually find, a certain polish, that separates his pieces from many other guitar composers. So, what do we find here?
Firstly he opens up with a warm arpeggio-based piece with more than a hint of the folk style, called Time Moves On. There is an engaging little tune atop the flow of arpeggios and a sudden move in and out of the tonic minor in the middle. A sad, little Lamenting Prelude follows set in E minor; a three-page Andante religioso, the longest in the book, set in three voices with a rocking arpeggio middle voice. Others include the quirky little Greeting Card with some surprising harmony work; a jokey Humoresque; a bouncy Springtime Tango and an equally pacey Captain Lee’s Calypso to name but a few more.
Each one has merit; all are not too hard and any players who enjoy melodic pieces with a little something a bit different in them, will get a great deal from this book.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
JARDIN SECRET for solo guitar
by Jean-Marie Raymond
This is a very short, possibly only two minutes or so piece in three brief sections in the format ABCAB. My immediate response is that it is very pretty, with a tune that could easily come from a film. It is set in A major with very friendly warm chords underneath it and nothing is too difficult. The main idea rocks gently over an A bass pedal, and to be fair, although very attractive, is rather predictable. Section B is more arpeggio-based and leads into the C Section in E minor. The final A and B sections are almost exact repeats and the piece ends on a final A major chord.
As a little encore item it could delight an audience and send them home humming the melody.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
SUITE OF MINIATURES for solo guitar
by Andrew Zohn
To call this a suite of miniatures is a little misleading for although the five movements are relatively short, they are certainly not small in design; the musical ideas within are quite serious and imaginatively developed.
The opening Prelude is typical of the compositional way of thinking throughout this entire set. The first idea begins on a form of altered E minor chord made up almost entirely of fourths. The composer then proceeds to move many of the notes either up or down one or two notes in a form of contrary motion, a practice he continues doing throughout the first section almost as if he discovered it as a happy accident and wanted to see what would happen if he did. Beats of fours and threes interweave to complete the slightly dislocated feel of it all. After a momentary pause a new idea emerges following almost the same musical restraints. So the top melody largely moves around a step at a time, whilst harmonies underneath also move a step at a time thus creating some unexpected harmonies as a result. The composer seems to be taking a particular idea and quasi-improvising, to see where the whole thing lands. The resulting Andante is very tense and almost disturbing.
Syncopato follows and again adopts a pattern established at the outset, which is varied and harmonically altered without losing the basic idea of a syncopated bass line melody underneath a repeating two-note chord accompaniment.
Vals Venezolano relies almost entirely on the semi-tonal rocking back and forth in the main melodic idea, over a very recognisable almost Lauro-like structure in E minor. Again the dissonances created by this process add tension to the whole Vals, and even the slightly contrasted middle section repeats the semi-tonal rocking phrase straight from the opening idea.
Le Scale, after a four bar intro settles down into a repeated two-note lower voice topped by a gradually rising semi-tonal scale idea, hence the title one assumes. Halfway through the scale moves to the bottom voice and remains there for much of the piece, which ends on a variant of the opening intro idea.
The final Ritmico runs around using a separated pair of fourths as the main melodic interest over a syncopated bass E pedal. The fourths run from the top to the bottom of the fingerboard and continue until a new idea, more chordal in content takes over. This seems to be breaking free of the repeated cell idea, until the melody lands on a four-note phrase that then chases its tail and repeats twice more, until the end of the section where it repeats over and over. It then links itself to the opening idea once again for a final repeat of the opening section and a quick chordal flourish and a fortissimo end.
I was intrigued by Zohn’s compositional idea of finding a cell of notes or a particular phrase and worrying at it in a number of different ways to see what harmonic possibilities occur. It was a process that I enjoyed from start to finish as I was wondering how it was all going to continue.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
THREE SUITES for solo guitar
by Javier Farias
The Chilean musician Javier Farias (b.1973) has been the recipient of no less than five grants for composition from the Chile Council of Arts and over the last few years has won many prizes for his written works including first prizes at the “Concorso Internazionale de Composozioni” (Italy), the ‘XVIII International Composition Competition “Andrés Segovia”’) (Spain) and the 6th “Michele Pittaluga competition” (Italy).
Farias writes for a multitude of instrumentation including chamber music, symphonies, jazz orchestra, choir, accordion, viola, percussion and guitar. Luckily for us, he has a predilection for this latter one having composed solos, duets, trios, quartets and has included the instrument in his chamber works.
Regrettably, I have to own up to never having come across his compositions before (as far as I know) but if this set of three suites for guitar is representative of his works then I will certainly be seeking out any recordings of his music, for this is wonderful writing in every respect for the guitar. Even though he is obviously influenced by the musical styles of his home country he takes these traditional rhythms and merges them in a modern idiom, the end result are very striking offerings being both exceedingly entertaining and interesting for the listener and very pleasurable to play through for the instrumentalist.
Each suite is a substantial affair of four movements and is stylistically based upon the musical forms of Tonada, Cueca, Huayno and Cachimbo. The music itself does have episodes of joviality but the prominent impression is of an attractive slight melancholy mood.
The music is very well presented with clear, sensible fingering and the accompanying CD is well worth having just for itself; the whole affair is top class.
Highly recommended.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
AU FIL DU TEMPS-COLA for 4 guitars
arr. by Laurent Méneret
Now this is fun! This is a book of well-known pieces in a variety of styles, suited, so it says, to music colleges and conservatoires, but this is easy material, and school teachers should keep reading.
Well-known and “hackneyed” are often confused, but these are well chosen pieces that will delight players and audience alike. Set for four guitars, the lowest part often has familiar chord shapes rather than a bass alone, and in the one piece where this job is given to Guitar Three, well, that’s because Guitar Four has an even more enjoyable job to do…
We start with a Leopold Mozart Minuet, very straightforward and yet with plenty of dynamics to make the piece come alive.
W.A. Mozart next, with La Ci Darem La Mano from Don Giovanni, where just a few semiquavers (sixteenth notes) will trip up the unrehearsed.
Strauss’s waltz from Die Fledermaus causes Guitar One to venture a little higher and at more of a speed. Perhaps some fingering here would be helpful, because the rest of the music is easy, and good fingering here will help maintain that flow.
Villoldo’s tango El Choclo is a favourite of mine because it sits so well on guitar and sounds so good too; this arrangement certainly gets the tango feel to the fore with chords and a luscious bass-line too.
Valse Vénézuélienne (trad.) is known to me as La Partida by Alvarez, or one of about seven other composers all credited with writing it. But it’s a well-known piece and this is a very playable arrangement which uses lots of open E strings in the tune to flesh out the sound and to add movement with minimal technical overhead. Very effective.
So what standard is it? Conservatoire? No, I’d say that a mixed ability ensemble around about Grade Five would be able to enjoy these pieces, and that’s why I am so happy to commend this edition to school teachers who fancy some good arrangements of solid repertoire that an audience will instantly relate to.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
SPATULA - A SCRAMBLED PASTICHE for solo guitar
by David Mallamud
The daftest thing about this piece is its title Spatula, which seems to have no bearing whatsoever on the musical content, which is in the form of a sort of pastiche, hence the sub-title. The music within is great fun, jolly hard to play correctly and easy to play absolutely wrongly if you get my meaning for there is a lot of little detail here, which could easily be misread, and thus misplayed.
The form of the work is very original and a real one-off, which immediately grabs one’s interest. The composer describes the work as an autobiographical homage to the guitar and one in which he could portray many varied guitaristic elements that showed of the instrument to its fullest extent. So he begins with the introduction based on one of his best-loved guitar pieces Tárrega’s Capricho Arabe. It does begin exactly the same only gradually varying its little details as it goes further on, but as it winds down into what ought to be Tárrega’s main section, you are suddenly dragged bodily into a banjo-esque bluegrass idea. This then makes way after a little while into a habanera style, a violent contrast you may realise, only to accede to the bluegrass idea a little way on. From here on in things get a little bizarre as styles and moods change thick and fast but eventually become a somewhat bizarre mix of the two styles all at once! At this point there are various violent interruptions of rasgueado chords amongst other things that try to disrupt the entire affair, only to be met with dogged persistence on behalf of the habanera that refuses to give way. The section marked “Grotesque” aptly portrays this battle, which, after all this is “won” surprisingly by the bluegrass theme that one had almost forgotten about, and which slides in and takes over the coda to the astonishment of all concerned.
Very difficult technically in a lot of places, this very humorous slice of the fantastic and bizarre is like nothing else I have come across before and as such would probably be the highlight of a concert should any brave individuals give it a try. Great stuff.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
SINFONIA IN SOL MAGGIORE for plectrum orchestra
by Carlo Cecere (arr. by Vincent Beer-Demander)
This work is for two mandolins, mandola, guitar and a bass clef “Bass”. Any of the lines is playable on guitar, though of course the mandolin is tuned an octave higher, so it’s not ideal to play it entirely on guitars.
Not a lot is known about Cecere, though he was alive at the time of Vivaldi and Cecere’s music is not dissimilar in style. I was able to find a companion Cecere Sinfonia on YouTube that is played with ostensibly this orchestration; it is well worth viewing if this edition sounds interesting to you.
The mandolin parts are monophonic with occasional bursts of speed. The guitar part is very much written for classical guitar and stylistically is like an intermediate work by Carulli – in two or three parts, based on straightforward chord shapes in G; although having one or two counterpoint entries, it is mostly fulfilling a continuo role.
The three movements (Allegro, just 37 bars long, Larghetto, 24 bars, and Allegro Assai, 80 bars of 2/4) are over in a trice, but they are nonetheless nicely shaped, and likely to appeal to an audience not wholly familiar with classical music.
The edition comes with ample dynamics to realise a good and varied performance. There is no fingering, but all the fretted parts are mainly first position and probably comfortable to someone at Grade 5-6 standard.
The particular orchestration needed will restrict this edition to a small number of fretted orchestras, but it is rather an effective filler in a classical concert, where it would hold its own between lengthier and more taxing items.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
IMPRESSIONS CATALANES for plectrum orchestra
by Érik Marchelie
I hesitated at the word plectrum, and that’s before I opened the music and found it set for two mandolins, a mandola, two guitars and finally a contra in bass clef only. Deep inside the music, seeing the word arco on the contra part made the penny drop – this wasn’t a contra guitar but a double bass.
Barcarolle, in a leisurely 6/8, is a mix of staccato and normal articulation. Many of the bars are based on two arpeggios; the guitars play the first and the mandola the second, in a lovely interplay. There are heady key changes that bring this interchange more strongly to the fore. The first mandolin splits divisi to decorate its tune with some little runs, and this decoration flows through the other parts before the theme is reprised for a delicate, gentle conclusion. This is a pleasing work and the key changes make for a very satisfying three minutes of music.
Danse has a very atmospheric hurdy-gurdy feel to it; some effective tambor from the guitars is followed by some ponti and yet more key changes. The mandolins and mandola have some energetic scale passages with plenty of sharps to keep the concentration engaged; but we guitarists mustn’t laugh – we suddenly find ourselves in four flats, though it’s not as scary as it sounds. The characteristic mandolin tremolo finally makes an appearance as we approach the finale of the piece.
It would be possible to play it entirely on guitar – the contra is ostensibly doubled by the lower guitar part (frequently at the same pitch) and could be omitted without the world ending.
But it would sound gruff. For those of us who mix with our metal string plectrum-wielding colleagues, there’s some nice writing here at an intermediate standard.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
COULEUR CALYPSO for 4 guitars
by Thierry Tisserand
I love ensembles where the players can’t help but feed off each other’s sense of joy, and that’s why I love this one. The rhythm is simply delightfully bouncy, and there’s evident fun in the writing, even to the point of preparing the guitars at the bridge to make them more percussive and spirited.
There’s the expected 3+3+2 calypso rhythm in the bass; but there are some little variations on this that might cause a less experienced ensemble to have trouble keeping really tight – the percussive start to the prepared guitars will make this more noticeable.
Above it, Guitar 3 takes a role a little like the cymbal in a drum-kit; repeated semiquavers with the accent achieved as much by missing out selected notes as by emphasising others.
Guitar 2 frequently provides a countermelody for Guitar One, typically the same rhythm a third below.
Technically this is not too scary, ranging from Grade Three in the bass to Grade Five/Six upstairs, but the rhythm will catch the unwary, especially when playing quavers on a semiquaver boundary, so that the tune is pulled forward in time across the bar lines. In that respect, the bass line, despite being the easiest, would probably benefit from at least one strong player who can keep the beats lined up tightly.
The music is not at all repetitive and there are some nice modulations from the key of C into some of the more familiar neighbouring keys. These are matched by rhythmic changes, with occasional runs in triplets across all four parts, so that the piece sounds fresh throughout its entire duration.
My reservation is in how intermediate players will keep the guitars tightly in synchronism, as slightly errors will take the edge off an otherwise delightful little quartet. That apart, it’s entirely evocative of Calypso and therefore entirely suited as one of a set of contrasting pieces in a school concert.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
LOS ANDES for 4 guitars
by Roque Carbajo
If you asked the man in the street what music from the Andes was about, he’d probably reply it was pan-pipes and ponchos. And if you asked for the name of a piece, you might eventually get El Condor Pasa by Simon and Garfunkel.
And yet… deep in the body of this music, El Condor Pasa there are the first opening notes, in octave unisons, clear as a bell. And why not – they’re gone in a flash as the scene is set and the music moves off to something similar yet completely different. This undeniably catches the genre purely on guitar.
This is not a work from someone trying to cover “another style” in his portfolio – on his travels, Mr Carbajo has been immersed in this type of music and its craftsmen and writes with authority rather than mimicry. The result is a very accessible quartet in which the rhythm is lively and catchy without being unfeasibly complex or cumbersome.
The rest of the piece is nicely written with a pleasing amount of fingering and performance indications. Set in conventional SATB orchestration, Guitar 4 has a much livelier bass-line than is usual, and the parts above it share a similar rhythm, though only Guitar 1 goes up into the ninth position. There are some simple time signature changes that might trip up a day dreaming player, and there are some lovely chords behind it all; I can’t resist E minor and A in succession.
Overall, it’s probably suited to an ensemble between Grades 5 and 7 but it’s a lovely and atmospheric piece that entirely lives up to its name.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
AUSTIN TANGO for 4 guitars
by Roland Dyens
Roland Dyens has a massive and still-growing reputation as a composer who pushes guitar to its limits with music that is pleasing and effective.
Austin Tango, which British readers will unfortunately instantly think is a sub-genre of Morris Dance, is dedicated to the Austin Guitar Society, whose ranks obviously include a good number of extremely competent players.
There is a glossary of notation and a couple more symbols are explained on the score itself, though the final marking, a Bartok pizz., has no description. These interpretive marks are not onerous or complicated, and some of them are little more than reminders not to be untidy with left over notes and with squeaks.
What is complicated is simply the job of keeping all the parts together. Some of the timing is quite hard to read, but the pace is modest and there’s actually more time to play the complex sequences than the amount of black ink would suggest.
But what does it sound like? Actually, it’s rather glorious. The opening walking bass, which is curiously heavily fingered for something in the first position, is pizz. and slightly sinister. A subito clap from the rest of the players will get the audience’s attention. The tango is dark, slightly eerie, as it positions itself on this bass motif, but the writing is all the time lush and wonderfully evocative. One can almost hear a melodeon in the background…
The central section in A major is warm and melodious and many of the parts get a chance to take a little of the limelight. And then we return to the dark opening that is enhanced with the addition of some strummed chords. At the end is the exhortation to sit motionless for three seconds.
The more I played it, the more I found it pleasingly under the fingers. It might need a conductor, at least at first, but for players who don’t break into a sweat with complex rhythms, this is going to delight.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
THE BLUE BELLS OF SCOTLAND for 4 guitars
by Luc Lévesque
I am wondering whether “Blue Bells” rather than “Bluebells” has set the composer off on the wrong foot, or whether it’s a really clever play on words. The jury is out, except to say that one of the variations definitely has a chiming clock in harmonics as part of the accompaniment.
This little quartet, 149 bars long, is charming. The opening theme, in A major, has the pretty much de rigeur bagpipe effect with a drone bass and bare fifths preceded by little grace notes. The theme enters over a very easy and very effective 9th chord of A giving a spacious and airy feel, and the tune is shadowed variously a sixth or a third below. The first variation is rather special – a darting scale passage cleverly lights up the tune as it darts upwards, and then drops down to provide movement and filler – all under the fingers in the second position. The second variation moves to G major and sees harmonic clock chimes and G6 chords over the tune, which is now in the bass. The tune is nicely doubled up by the tenor part in the deepest part of melody.
A change of key to C major, and of rhythm to 6/8, bring to life a jig-like variation, and give Guitar 3 the limelight. A second 6/8 variation in G, more melodic, gives Guitar 2 the tune and sends Guitar 1 up into VII position.
Before the reprise, Guitar 3 sets off in a snare-drum accompaniment that delivers a “pipe and tabor” feel, and there is a military precision to this variation, which has brought us back to A major. And then, a laid-back adagio takes us back to the theme and to a restful conclusion.
The writing is very much under the fingers and the rhythms are varied yet straightforward. Set in SATB style, the bass part is slow and easy, and the upper parts just a little more challenging. A mixed ability group between Grade 2 and 4 would be capable of a very competent and solid performance.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
MERSEY PARTITA for solo guitar
by Mark Houghton
This is an eight-movement homage to the composer's home city, which received its premiere at the Wirral Festival in November 2008 with Stanley Yates doing the performing honours.
The “Prelude” is a Homage to the Heritage Market and is in an amiable A major/minor with lots of hustle and bustle depicting the shoppers. It reminded me a little of Ponce's Sonatina Meridional in its harmonic language. The second movement “From Woodside” is largely in a friendly 7/4 with occasional 8/4s and 3/2s also. A pleasant idea set in sixths over a low D bass is the main idea. It is quite brief and befits its dolce marking. Third comes “Liverpool Echo”, a Homage to the Toxteth Carnival, set in a reggae style, with lots of stop-go staccato chords underpinned by a friendly melody set in E minor. “Nerys-Scherzo” is next; a delightfully cheeky homage to Nerys Hughes from the famous Liver Birds programme. Its marking of “playful” is very apt. There are also a couple of wonderful harmonic moments where an unexpected and almost indefinable chord suddenly lands you in foreign territory, only for you to find your way back almost as effortlessly. Great fun. No.5 is “Memories of the 'Mystery'”, Homage to Wavertree Park; apparently to do with fond memories of the composer's childhood although I am not quite sure what the “Mystery” refers to; it is a haunting and nostalgic little melody over some deliberately evocative harmonies. In the next movement “Oriental Octaves”, Homage to Our Chinatown, Houghton has thankfully refrained from the archetypical fourths a lesser writer might have resorted to, and manages to convey the piece's inherent orientalism by other more sophisticated means, and is another standout piece. “New Day Dawning”, Homage to Sefton Park is a beguiling little tune with a great bouncy rhythm that is a lot easier to play than you first think! This is one of the best little pieces in the set. The final movement is “A Scouse Joke”, Homage to the Lambanana Statue and is a frenetic and often harmonically-acidic waltz that pokes fun at the rather bizarre statue that has been touting all over Liverpool and indeed other parts of the world promoting all things Liverpudlian. It is perhaps the hardest in the set and a fitting end to this remarkably fine suite of character pieces.
Nothing is too difficult and there is much fun to be gained by trying this nice set out. It has a lot to commend it and is excellently laid out and printed.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
UNA PALABRA DE CONSUELO for solo guitar
by Annette Kruisbrink
The musical style(s) of Ms Kruisbrink's compositions can often seem chameleonic; sometimes very conservative in harmony; sometimes the polar opposite and everything in between. Her latest work “A Word of Consolation” might lead you to expect a warm nostalgic little work but as one often finds with her pieces the most obvious idea is not what she goes for.
A Lento rubato begins on a rising idea based around a D minor chord. Then a sudden change into a ritmico drone around the notes A and D leads you into a rhythmic and syncopated melody above, which gradually turns sour until one is hitting notes of C, C#, E and D# above the aforementioned A and D, just to quote one example. After a climactic moment wherein crunchily harmonised chords rock back and forth interwoven with variations on the opening rising D minor idea, one is hurled into a semiquaver variant of the A/D drone idea now translated into a passage marked insistendo. A brief respite of the oddly syncopated fourths idea, now in G/C leads again to the crunchy chords making a return now in ever-changing meters and in a more extended fashion. This in turn makes way for the insistendo passage to return, slightly varied before the syncopated A/D section dies away to strummed misterioso chords. This leads once more to even more upbeat version of the insistendo idea, interrupted one final time by a brief calmer section before running relentlessly this time into a variant of the opening that in turn becomes the coda which closes on the D minor run.
It was interesting throughout with a set of musical ideas you could follow, and was only moderately difficult to play. Lovers of Annette Kruisbrink's many compositions might like to give this eight minute piece a try.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
MILONGA D'OCTOBRE and RUMBA MARICA for 2 guitars
by Thierry Tisserand
There are only a handful of composers for the guitar whose music I inherently trust to be good. I know before I actually play them that I am going to like what I see/hear. Thierry Tisserand is one of them, for I have yet to come across anything of his music that I didn't thoroughly enjoy.
These are two relatively modest pieces for duo that don't require too much technical effort to make them work successfully, requiring only a moderate command of the fingerboard. Both are Latin-inspired, beginning with Milonga d'octobre with its oft-repeated rhythm of 3, 3 and 2 in a bar. With only a couple of exceptions the top part consists of a single line melody, which does however need to run around the fingerboard with apparent ease, underpinned by a second part that is sometimes an arpeggiated pattern and sometimes a harmonic foil for the top part. It has an instantly memorable melody and has a forward thrust throughout that is utterly compelling and successful.
Its companion Rumba Marica is in a similar 3, 3 and 2 pattern but with a slightly more complex top part, but not too much so; it is still pretty much single notes again. The music is lots of fun, like its companion and relatively short at only 54 bars but makes a lively companion piece to the Milonga and would be ideal for a reasonably talented duo. As usual, this is effortlessly wonderful stuff from Tisserand and needs to be played and enjoyed by vast amounts of people.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
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