Boulevard Léopold III

"Set in A, the second note of the piece is A# which piques a certain amount of interest in how the opening is going to proceed, and proceed it does, with an elegant call-and-response style that is airy and light, and although the dissonances look harsh on the page they are gentle and delightful on the ear. Once the piece is under way, there are countless first and second-time bars, effectively doubling the length of the piece. Two of the centre sections are part percussion-based, and this is the first point in the music when it becomes clear that despite the apparently simple mix of crotchets and quavers, keeping a clear head is vital. Deceptively simple rhythms change bar by bar, and concentration is essential. Away from the two percussion sections, there are two melodic episodes, the first of which revisits the opening and develops it. [...] The theme that emerges on the other side of the second percussive bout is more energetic, but markedly easier to count and play; it's in that grey area between strangely hypnotic and rather repetitive and I think that a good ensemble will play this simple section markedly better than a less-experienced one. The writing is SATB, and Guitar 4 definitely has a much easier line with few rhythmic challenges, whereas Guitar 1 has the hardest part. Before you buy it, you need to know how hard it is, and I'd say this is definitely for a mixed ability quartet, ranging from Grade Two to Three at one end and Grade Six at the other. But as is the case with many ensembles, it's going to be 'locking it all together' that proves a bigger challenge than 'playing the notes'. There's something fresh and appealing about this."

Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)