Capriccio

Here is an extended one-movement work by this talented composer, whose music I have come across a number of times before. It opens fortissimo with a semiquaver idea consisting of broken fourths which dashes around the guitar frantically. Interspersed with occasional chords and/or bass notes this idea is quite extensively developed before a cantabile idea takes over, still however in semiquavers, the pace not being allowed to slacken. A brief link to the broken fourths idea leads back again to the cantabile idea, developed considerably. Then after an extensive and unremitting 7 pages of semiquavers, the note values lengthen to quavers for a section of harmonics over gently clashing basses, which in turn becomes an adagio ma non troppo. This much needed respite eventually leads into a return of the semi quavers before a new presto misterioso section in 12/16. A fortissimo bass then announces the opening theme in a new guise, which after a brief largo intervention reaches a considerable climax of considerable difficulty and a dash for the finishing post.
This is a tricky work to play, in a tonal but interestingly diverse musical language, which at approximately 10 minutes duration is well worth anybody's money if your technique is a real grade 8. Anyone else would struggle. Nicely printed too.
(Chris Dumigan, Classical Guitar, Jully 2001)