The serenity which surrounds this very attractive piece and the unpretentious tune shrouds the fact that this is actually quite a difficult piece to play. With the 3rd and 6th strings tuned to F# and D respectively, the main feature of this work is a lilting, ostinato arpeggio alternating between mainly 9/8 and 6/8 and performed in between bass and melody, moving very high up the fingerboard utilizing this 3rd string F#. For the most part the melody comes in small clusters of notes with space between these groups; now I don't know if the poetic side of me is coming to the fore but as this is a 'piece of the night' these fragmentary phrases seem to conjure up nocturnal phenomenon, made a little more eerie by the unremitting supportive arpeggios; this may be a completely incorrect interpretation from my part of course. Breve volo Notturno is an appealing composition of around the grade 7 standard.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
