Frevo

With a Dal Segno al Coda, this piece totals about 130 bars of 2/4, so it's not a lengthy piece when played at MM=96. Many of the bars have a dotted quaver/semiquaver 'skip', both in the normal 'long short' disposition but also in the more unusual 'short long' layout. Set in D minor, Guitar 4 lays down a back track of rhythmic four-note chords that the contra thickens up by deepening the bottom note. It's easy to play. Above this backing, Guitars 1 and 2 frequently move in parallel, with Guitar 3 sometimes thickening the harmony, sometimes also moving with the tune. This is a lively piece with frequent crossing of parts in certain sections, which will perhaps leave players arguing about who has the tune at that point. Elsewhere, things are much more obvious, though the weaving of melody in and around the same pitches of the more static chord work frequently causes short-term clashes that mar the clarity here and there. With the faster sections coming in at 6-7 notes a second, a clear head is needed to keep up with the syncopations and changes of rhythm that give the piece such energy. Then again, the writing is such that during rehearsal the piece could be slowed down without coming apart rhythmically. There are some classy little touches - the familiar 3:3:2 rhythm pops up here and there, and just when you think you're comfortable with it, it changes to a 3:3:3:3:2:2 rhythm, elegantly beamed across the barlines. There are a few fingerings here and there, and just enough dynamics that the piece can be shaped. The overall standard is not that hard, though reaching the marked metronome speed would challenge a less-experienced group. The parts increase in complexity as we move from the contra up to Guitar 1 and I would think an ensemble spanning Grade three to six would be comfortable with this.

Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)