Nelly Decamp : Brasilia Songs : DOz

Nelly Decamp

Les Productions D’OZ: 7 pages

Here are three pieces that were inspired by Nelly Decamp’s life in Brasilia, a place where she lived for a while.

Concha Acustica (Acoustic Shell) is a place that she discovered after a concert that had wonderful acoustics amid lovely scenery. The shortest of the three pieces it is a Largo, Libre et Sonore full of long exotic chords interspersed with some faster lines of melody that is a great start to this set. At the end of bar 16, an attacca leads straight into Casarao, Restaurante Musical which is an open – air specialty eating place in the Vila Planalto area that invites professional and amateur musicians to perform under a huge tree. It is marked Bossa Rumba and, like the opening piece, set in E Major at 120 crotchets a minute and full of the bossa rhythm and a number of Golpes on the strings throughout. Again the Latin – American harmonies are foremost here, as are the rhythms and the themes are always interesting and full of the odd ‘clang’ in the harmonies.

The final work is Jardim Botanico marked Joyeux, Rythme and again set in E Major, at the faster speed of 132 Crotchets a minute, and is a botanical garden full of life, smells and multiple colours. There are many places again here where the fingerings and chords are quite different, with a number of arpeggio patterns that include open notes amidst the rest of the chords used. The Brasilian harmonies are again very noticeable and everything flows beautifully along with some bars that might surprise you too!

All in all, this is a great set of pieces from Nelly, and a set that many will love to play .You do have to be moderately good, to even cope with them , but apart from that there is a lot to love here.

Chris Dumigan