Habana Vieja

"Habana Vieja (dedicated to Berta Rojas) is one of those pieces which grab you from the start. The opening bars set the rhythmic style for a good chunk of the piece; that is of a staccato bass line with broken chords/melody played above, the hemiola style of writing giving the work a definite South American character. There are some lovely effects throughout - sudden brief bursts of triplets; campanella moments; little melodic phrases emerging out of all the rhythmic arpeggios. This is a really engaging and delightful new work from this highly skilled French guitarist/ composer. On first readthrough the piece seems not too difficult, that is until one spots the intended tempo (dotted minim = 60) which takes it into the realm of the Intermediate-plus player but even taken at a slower speed the composition is still a nice one to play. Recommended."
-Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
 

Fabrice Pierrat is in charge of guitar studies at the École Nationale de Musique et de Danse de Cayenne in French Guyana. He has composed numerous solo and chamber works based on South American and Caribbean rhythms. In Habana Vieja he captures an atmosphere of “Old Havana” that is both aromatic and tasty. The piece has enough substance for concert presentation, but it would also serve admirably as an encore or for «gig» use. The difficulty level is intermediate.
-David Grimes (Soundboard Magazine)