Jean – Marie Raymond
Les Productions D’Oz: Score and separate parts (12, 3,4,4,3 and 1 pages respectively)
This latest piece from Raymond is marked Bandoneon, or two melody instruments, which is the reason that there are 5 separate parts as well as the score here. The score itself is set out just for bandoneon and two guitars, but the separate parts are there for the two melody instruments in case that is the way you would prefer to play it.
AS usual with Jean – Marie Raymond, the harmonies and the melody are nostalgic, warm, and friendly and nothing is too difficult for the players. ’The Rivers of my Heart ‘begins in E minor with a marking of Con Amore, which aptly conveys the feeling one gets from the music which starts on the two guitars before the bandoneon makes a very quiet entrance at bar 16, before taking over the melody from the guitars, that then have a rising phrase that repeats over the next few bars, and the other guitar doing a simple bass/chord idea. The music becomes more dramatic halfway through this section with accented guitar chords taking over the accompaniment, before sharing the melody in the latter portion of this section. A change to the tonic major lightens the mood somewhat and is quite extended but does then lead to a return to the opening mood whilst remaining in the major key. The coda ends via a diminuendo and a final unexpected chord of F# minor.
This is yet another pleasant, involving little piece, which if you have the bandoneon line up, you will enjoy playing, and if you don’t and want to use the other option, then your first melody instrument has a treble clef range of the B underneath the first ledger line below the stave to the first G above the stave, whilst the second melody instrument has a bass clef range of a low A on the first space of the stave, to the E two ledger lines above.
Chris Dumigan