“Prolific guitar composer finally writes a sonata”
Nick Fletcher is a UK-born player/composer who has written many fine pieces for the guitar published through d’Oz, and here he tries his hand at his first full-blown sonata. It’s in three movements - the first and third are fast and furious, the second is a very smooth, jazz-like, free-rhythmed piece that sounds almost like it could have come from the 1930s. The first movement, “Allegro,” has a ground bass A over which a long-breathed, rhythmed melody of a 16th note and two 32nd notes takes hold. The time signatures change from a steady 4/4 to 2/4, 3/4, and 5/4 at times, as the melody ploughs through relentlessly. A brief, more melodic second theme intervenes before a presto materializes, consisting of an arpeggiated four 32nd-note idea that is harder to execute than it looks. After the repeat, a development section plays with the previous themes, before yielding to a complete repeat of the recapitulation section and a small coda. The slow movement is wonderfully warm and clearly jazz-influenced, with melting harmonies and sudden changes of key. The final “Presto con Fuoco” is a mix of 6/8 and 3/4, mostly in two voices, leading to a middle section that quotes directly from the first movement before returning to the opening idea and a swift and forceful coda. This is a pleasant and rewarding piece that definitely deserves to be heard. However, it is advanced in its techniques and really only for the experienced player.
-Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
