A Peace for all Children

The Manchester-born guitarist/composer Chris Dumigan will be known to many readers of this magazine not only for his critical reviews but also as the transcriber of all of the recorded works of the Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios, a task Dumigan undertook in the early 1980s. Before this period his non-classical guitar compositions included writing 139 songs and two rock musicals; after 1983 he decided to only write music which involved classical guitar. Having heard quite a few of his original guitar compositions I am astonished that he has not become much more renowned for these other pieces, perhaps this new edition will change that. A Peace for all Children was commissioned by the Meir Park Day Nursery of Stoke-on-Trent in 1999; the commission was particularly commissioned to benefit less fortunate children everywhere and all the royalties from sales/performances of this work will be going to children's charities. The musical impact this composition has on one, throughout the entire work, is one of uplifting joy; there is at times though an underlying impression of «melancholy« hidden in the music, but the overall sentiment is one of hope and optimism. There are some enthralling moments during the five or so minutes duration of this work, such as the «heroic« 23-bar long passage where the tonic pedal provides a vehicle for the music to build up in excitement only to halt unexpectedly for a recapitulation of the opening theme heard at the start. The music then begins to rise to a climactic peak before once again having a brief adjournment before the whole work rises up for one final time ending in what is best described as a «River Dance«-type ending. This work was premiered at the Dillington Guitar Festival in July of 2000 where the performers were Paul Gregory and Alison Back. I happened to be at that particular concert and without doubt this, for me, was one of the highlights that evening. A Peace for all Children is a stunning new addition to the flute and guitar repertoire and one which hopefully will begin making more appearances.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)