Patrick Roux : Appassionatango: Doz

Patrick Roux

Les Productions D’Oz: 12 pages

French –born Roux has had many works published, a few of which I have seen. This latest work is in the form of a modern tango, complete with many harmonic crunches that definitely suit the style.

The opening is marked Joyeux, chantant et rythmique, and is in D Minor (dropped D 6^th ) with an opening solo line that jumps all over the fingerboard, before becoming two voices in  an almost fugal style. There is much use of multiple accidentals throughout and nothing sits still for even a second. The two voices run to three at times and things get more and more complex until at bar 49 a Piu Mosso of  gently undulating quavers sit on top of the tango rhythm supplied by the middle voice. This continues for a considerable time, gradually building until a small Meno Mosso takes us to the 3^rd section marked Piu Lento, Nostalgico in D Major which evolves from various themes already heard, before moving to E minor. A brief rallentando takes us back to the opening tempo, firstly in C minor  and then A minor, before finally returning to the D minor opening idea for a loud and passionate finale with a coda flying around in semiquavers before the final coda of a Dm6 chord and a glissando to the final low D, heavily accented and staccato.

This is a tricky piece to get your fingers round because nothing is at all easy but it has plenty of character, and lots of excitement, which would delight any audience.

Chris Dumigan