Valse en Sol
Passionnément
Nostalgia Vals
Vals entrerriano
Quartier latin
A handful of pleasurable waltzes
Here are five varied and contrasting waltzes that are a little different from the norm. They are all of a certain standard of difficulty, so prospective players need a certain facility throughout the entire fingerboard and have no problem playing at potentially fast speeds when required. No. 1 is in a curious mix of G and E minor (although the piece is officially in G). It just sounds as if it spends more time in E minor than G, with its deliberately enigmatic opening that could really be in any number of keys. No. 2 is appropriately titled "Passionnément," and this time is definitely in E minor. "No. 3" is a "Nostalgia Vals" in A, with an unusual knack of going, thematically speaking, where you don't expect. A number of slurs make this a tricky piece to bring off without some careful preparation. The final two are Latin in derivation, with "No. 4" being particularly difficult at the required 150 quarter notes-a minute (also requiring multiple slurs), while "No. 5" sounds like a waltz Antonio Lauro might have written; like "No. 4," it is 150 quarter-notes-a-minute and full of slurs of every shape and kind. This was quite a fun set to play, though it does require good technical ability to come out in the right manner.
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)
