Portrait - compilation

Disponible sur CD - DZ 650

Aussi disponible en Disque compact (DZ 650CD)

«This hefty volume appears to be an overview of this Canadian composer's work already published by LPD, and I say this only because I have aIready reviewed several of these pieces as separate volumes in the past years.
There is certainly plenty of scope in this fine and varied bunch of pieces. It is immediately noticeable how Gaudreau rarely writes the obvious harmonic progression, for there are many times where the next bar or phrase catches you out in some way. Witness the opening Un Matin D'Automne, a largo 2/4 work in A major consisting entirely of semiquavers, and mostly of arpeggios covering an entire bar. Rarely does the arpeggiated chord take you where you expect you might be going. The surprise factor is high here. Une Allee Au Bois is ostensibly a mazurka but one where the rhythm of the melody lands you on entirely the wrong beat; e,g. in bars 5 and 6. Here the apparent simplicity of the melody leads you onto what feels like it ought to be a first beat of a new bar but instead arrives a beat early, leaving a strangely staggering feel to it all. This happens a number of times in this piece. So what appears to be a simple tune is in fact very cleverly done!
In a volume as huge as this there is only room to mention a few highlights, namely the interestingly harmonised Rêverie, the folkdance-like Esperanza, with its constantly shifting time signatures, the B minor Nocturne with the 3rd string tuned to F sharp and finally the aptly-named Appassionato. There are plenty of moderately difficult pieces here to satisfy the most critical of players and as such I can heartily recommend it to any interested parties.«
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)