Giorgio Mirto
Les Productions D’Oz: Score and separate parts: (26, 16, and 16 pages respectively)
This is a three movement suite of an advanced nature, and written for the husband and wife duo of Daniel Webber and Candice Mowbray. Interestingly the dedicatees requested that it also be playable by guitarists who used plectrums, and so whilst this piece is perfectly playable by two fingerstyle classical players , it is also playable by plectrum guitarists too.
The first movement is at the modest pace of 80 beats a minute and begins on guitars 2 with a motif in E Major that continues for a short while guitar one brings in the main melody set in two voices, which are always set rhythmically out of sync with each other, (thus enabling a plectrum player to play it).There is then a brief accelerando that leads to an Agitato section with both parts in two voices now set in the tonic minor. The music moves considerably and is far from easy at this point. Then a brief ritardando leads us back to the opening speed and key for a varied return to the opening music and then to the coda
The second movement is, although slower at 50 beats a minute, full of much shorter note values .It begins on an extended opening section of harmonics in both parts, before an accelerando leads us directly into the main semi- quaver idea that dives around the fingerboard and is quite a handful in both parts. This is quite an extensive movement full of interesting ideas, that eventually returns to the opening Largo and a brief resume of the harmonics and the final coda.
The final movement is, on the face of it, not much faster , being at 54 beats a minute, but again the parts are littered with small note values , even as small as demi – semi – quavers , so again nothing is very easy to play. Both players have plenty to play and the ideas never stop changing, making for some very clever and interesting writing. At the climax both guitars are racing along in very small note values until a climactic coda where the piece receives a fine close to the entire work.
This is a considerable piece, full of clever writing and definitely not for the faint – hearted! However , that said it is a fine work , that many duos will get a great deal of pleasure from , and I would be quite interested to hear it played also by two plectrum guitarists, as it really is playable in that manner, although it really would task the players immensely.
Chris Dumigan