Au grenier / In the Attic

Guitar ensemble and narrator

What fun - six pieces for four groups of guitars (sometimes the group is split into two, so a minimum of eight guitars is needed to reproduce the music in full).
ln between each item, the narrator sets the scene and the guitars play a depiction of that part of the story.
Technical issues first - there is narrative in English, French and Dutch on the full score and parts, and German and ltalian on a single sheet bound into the full score. With no sharps and virtually everything in first position, this is ideal for learners of quite modest ability, and it's soon apparent that this is tailor-made for an end-of-term school concert.
The story sees Ann and John playing in the old deserted school on the outskirts of the village. One day they find a secret attic with a curious box. The guitars imitate rain falling on the small window. The sky darkens, the rain falls harder, and the wind gets up. The composer invites the players to think of ways to imitate wind and a storm. There are footsteps coming up the stairs. There is the old, creaky door being pushed slowly open... This is sound-effects heaven for guitarists! But there is great quartet-writing too - so it's a heady mix of notes and noises and the fun is shared around.
l daren't spoil the story and tell you what happens right after the loud THUD as the old door is slammed shut, and l won't tell you more about the box and the little secret it contains.
But l will tell you that any teacher of young children will find that this piece absolutely captivates them,
involves them and draws them right in. They will love the mixture of sound effects and music and so will their parents - a miniature school play just ripe for playing at the final concert of the year.
This really is a refreshing little book that will, l'm sure, prove a best seller for teachers of young children.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)