André Charbonneau is a guitarist and composer influenced by various musical idioms and his pieces are described as 'sentimental, rhythmical but always serene' in the foreword to this volume. These four pieces are contrasting in style; attractive, if occasionally cliched harmony is employed but the phrasing works well and each is nicely structured. Regardez au loin is straightforward, around the grade five mark, moving from the opening A minor section to a C sharp minor section and back with a lyrical running quaver melody which requires tasteful vibrato for maximum effectiveness. Everything fits under the fingers here and is enjoyable to play. The next piece is slightly easier - C'est Parti! is a rumba in A major, highly characterful and rhythmic with a running semiquaver introduction which is usefully fingered. Paresse has a very Cavatina-esque feel, in E major and leaning towards the 'sentimental' label- this rambles a bit with too many repeated phrases. The last piece is a lively and humorous waltz titled Drole d'histoire! which is fun and fits the guitar well. Overall - recommended as an accessible addition to the intermediate guitar repertoire.
(Linda Kelsall Barnett, Classical Guitar Magazine, April 2002)
