Toccata

2008 «Aaron Brock Memorial International Guitar Competition« Set Piece

Aaron Brock died of an unsuspected heart problem in 2006 aged just 31. A graduate of the Eastman school he was building a recital career and teaching at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. His first CD was released 4 months before his death,
All of this struck quite some terror into the reviewer: what if this piece was terrible, published in sentimental tribute to one taken away so prematurely? You can't speak ill of the dead, nor of their music, in these circumstances.
Happily the piece itself is good, though plainly derivative of its inspiration, Brouwer. It requires an exceptionally high technical standard and is written in a style amalgamating early and more recent aspects of Brouwer's harmonic and rhythmic approach. One or two near-literal quotes are present. Much of the writing falls readily under the fingers and the technical level is raised so high by its rapidly changing complexity and the tempo of the fast passages.
Stephen Kenyan (Classical Guitar)