Paolo Rosini
Les Productions D’Oz: 22 pages
Every so often, you get some music that absolutely delights you in every way, and here it is! Italian born Rosini, has here written a set of 5 pieces that are wonderful to get under your fingers, have such a great deal of imagination, and what is even better for me, sound at times like early piece by Debussy, or Faure, (two of my very favourite composers) as they inhabit the same sound and harmonic world.
Soiree D’Ete is set in E Major, and immediately gets you placing your fingers in one or two patterns on the guitar you hadn’t seen before, if at all. The music is constantly on the move, with some lovely imaginative chord progressions, and then in the middle section we find a very quick arpeggiated section where you have to fly up and down the fingerboard in semi – quavers or demi – semi – quaver patterns. After this the opening ideas return for one more time before a quiet coda on a Major7th chord of E.
Menuet de Fees is quite a fast minuet, set in D Major, and again full of unexpected details, but ones that you will love playing. The Debussy sound is again all over this piece.
La Princesse de Porcelaine is full of long chords (often harmonics) interspersed with a delightful high – pitched melody in crotchets. This is slightly easier than the first two, although your use of harmonics has to be very good!
Le Jeux des Nymphes is a rubato waltz styled piece set in D Major, but one where the harmonies are constantly shifting so that you never quite know what is coming next, and in the middle the notes suddenly get smaller, and so your technique has to be really sharp to not trip up on some of this.
The final piece Marche des Elfes, is a 2/4 E Minor with a very fluid melody that refuses to sit in one place for very long, and again is full of superb details that really keep you interested throughout.
This is a great book of pieces, one of my very favourite that I have seen for some time, and one that you really ought to have a good look at !
Chris Dumigan