Mark Houghton
Les Productions D’Oz: 6 pages
Liverpudlian Mark Houghton has written many works for the guitar and has established himself as a forerunner in the world of classical guitar composition and arranging in the UK.
This latest Latin – driven piece is in Am and an Allegretto full of the stop-go rhythms that one so associates with this style, with its momentary harmonic clashes that quickly move away to a ‘correct ‘note, and the many sudden syncopated rhythms that are so part of this music, and it is precisely those sudden changes in rhythm and harmonies that makes this quite tricky to get your fingers around at first. It does move constantly and is sometimes in 2 voices, but more often in three, and so it does keep you on your toes! With many contrasts in dynamics too (a fact that really adds to the drama of the piece) the player is constantly diving around the fingerboard from the first few frets to suddenly up to fret 12 often in three voices.
There is a momentary slightly warmer section in the tonic Major which however doesn’t stay there too long before returning to the darkness of the minor key. This is a very effective, Piazzolla like piece that deserves an audience, and I am convinced that many players who like their music interesting, dramatic, and not too predictable will love this latest work of his.
Chris Dumigan