Barcarolle

When Roland Dyens’s name appears in any publication you know that quality comes hand in hand. This latest arrangement of the famous melody from Tchaikovsky’s oddly-named The Seasons (odd because it comes from a set of 12 pieces, named after the months), originally a piano piece in G minor, it is set here in B minor with a 6th string to D and a 5th to B. As usual with Dyens’s arrangements nothing is left to chance and there are many and various notations along the way for all manner of musical situations, all of which are carefully notated in the Preface at the beginning. Of course the entire fingerboard is used throughout therefore one might class this arrangement as “rather difficult to play but definitely fun to get your hands around”. The result is a fine piece that never betrays its pianistic origins and would be a fine contribution to a recital as something a little unusual that the audience might not expect.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)