Sonatina Lontana

Like the same composer’s Sonata Italiana, Sonata Lontana was also another early work by Cordero. It was composed in the same year, 1972, and makes this particular year, with regard to solo guitar music, a productive one for Cordero. Work was begun on his Diez Piezas de Juventud, and the Preludios Primavera (otherwise known as Cinco Preludios), begun in 1967 were still in the process of being finalised. There was also an isolated composition titled Proteus. Sonata Lantana was written as a homage to Domenico Scarlatti and there are inferences as to the Baroque composer’s style, probably the most notable being a strong pulsating bass line through the first movement. The third movement is in the style of a Rondo and features the most varied writing with several changes of mood and tempo. As good and as entertaining as the outer movements are in this Sonata, I did find myself drawn once again (this happened in the aforementioned Sonata Italiana) to the middle movement, an Adagio. The more sombre aspects of this short piece, emphasised by the slight dissonances in the chords and arpeggio “variations” which work particularly well on guitar; and the actual chord sequence itself lifts this piece onto a higher plain than its surrounding bedfellows. This Adagio may or may not have been influenced by the Rodrigo Passcaglia but there are Similarities. Sonata Lantana would make a super inclusion in any formal recital or recorded programme. It is a highly polished, melodic composition which holds the interest throughout. Technically it is only suitable for the higher grade guitarist, say of around Grade 7.

Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)