The first piece is based on one of he many folk songs from the Auvergne, widely popularised by anteloube in his Songs of the Auvergne collection, which includes the haunting Bailero, known to many of you. The melodies from this region are noted for their expressiveness and are simply some of the most beautiful tunes ever to come from the minds and mouths of mankind. Engel's newly published piece is a rather brief five pages long, beginning with an introduction consisting of various fragments of the melody, interspersed with piquant harmonies, before the complete melody enters at bar 23 under a drone bass. After a brief Lento, the tempo picks up again and the theme is restated but this time interrupted on a number of occasions by a short idea, which keeps returning, apparently to disrupt the flow of the now more exotically harmonised melody. This continues until a loudly strummed complete version of the theme reappears, before a brief flourish, and all is over. The second work is in two short sections. L'Eveil, which includes an imitation of birdsong (as evidenced from the title) before L'Envol, in 6/8 marked Deciso takes over. Much of this section consists of a very guitaristic figuration that looks difficult but is actually easier to achieve than it first appears. A second idea marked legato leads into a repeat, which then builds into a considerable climax over a drone bass and an ever-climbing threenote chord before the fortissimo conclusion. Both works are definitely worth a look. I personally enjoyed the second more than the first, which seemed to finish before it really got going. Nicely printed as always with this publisher. (Chris Dumigan, Classical Guitar, 12/2000)
