Rainbow River is a modestly proportioned six-movement work, beginning with Autumn Prelude, an Andante 4/4 with gently moving quaver arpeggios against a friendly G major tune, nothing too difficult here, either technically or musically. Rush Hour Blues is a swinging 12/8 with plenty of bluesy ideas and offbeat rhythms to enhance an already attractive movement. Chrystal Moonlight (spelt thus!) is a lyrical A minor piece which consists almost entirely of quavers in its short 23 bars. Steps (No, nothing to do with the group, thankfully) is a light airy 120 crotchets-a-minute G major. Guitar two has offbeat quavers, while guitar one plays some across the bar sixths, with three and four gently accompanying. The fifth movement. Sweet Dreams is a Molto Cantabile 3/4. Its D major is warm and friendly and again everything is relatively simple and short. The final Diminishing Returns, marked Vivo, begins mostly in quavers before a brief climax turns into a lyrical Meno Mosso section and then a brief return to the first tempo and a four bar fortissimo coda. This is relatively friendly music, destined not to frighten too much with its harmonies. It would suit the quartet who were not too technically advanced and wanted to try something a little different from the norm while still remaining recognisably tonal.
(Chris Dumigan, Classical Guitar Magazine, July 2002)
