The many faces of the guitar, Série 2, vol. 1 (CD incl.)

CD Marlène Demers-Lemay

(version without CD also available, DZ 1191)
Designed as a follow-up to the Progressive repertoire serie (DZ 101 to DZ 106), we had proposed a new serie entitled The many faces of the guitar. Now we continue on this path with a second serie of books named The many faces of the guitar 2, with the hope to give an additional tool for the teachers who wish to renew their didactic repertoire, as well as guitar lovers eager of discovering new works for their own pleasure.
Like in the first serie of The many faces of the guitar, the repertoire is entirely original and carefully chosen among our vast publisher's catalogue. D'OZ exclusives from past editions are side by side with new pieces composed especially for this serie.
The d'OZ catalogue is full of little treasures written for all levels by guitarists, composers and teachers dedicated to the cause of classical guitar. The title suggests an optimistic portrait of the instrumental practice in many region of the world, and the scope of the «family« of composers who are regular d'OZ contributors. The crossbreeding of genres and countries are bringing an international flavour that makes these works so special.

A wide range of styles are in evidence here - 34 pieces have been selected from regular d'OZ contributors to make up a useful source of didactic repertoire for students around grades two and three. Presentation is excellent with clear notation and appropriate fingering with pieces around a page in length.
Belanger's Blues pour Chloe, in A major, utilises first position effectively, maintaining interest in the bass. Simple Dialogue from Shawn Bell is probably the easiest piece here, useful for its open string bass line. Camissassa's Habanera requires notes played together and Malaguena is an attractive variant on the usual exercise. Valsecito requires care in the varied rhythms. There are several selections from Yves Carlin's imaginative and accessible series Cat Pieces, requiring arpeggios, melodic figures and a range of textures.
Castet's Mi.. - Re-Do-Si-Do is another attractive selection with a lilting melody line and Une chanson sans titre is useful for its bass line melody.
Later pieces in the book explore a wider musical and technical range - Lemay's Ballade requires simple chords supporting a 6/8 melody; Loncar's Spanish Dance stands out brightly, in D major, with a contrasting middle section in D minor. Vent d'Orient, from Takashi Ogawa lends itself to colourful exploration of tone colours and attention to phrasing.
An enjoyable selection of early-intermediate repertoire.
Linda Kelsall-Barnett (Classical Guitar Magazine)