The name Mark Houghton will need little introduction to many and this prolific composer (and yes, the word “prolific” is justified) is continuing to produce material that is anything but samey.
The tango, in A minor, opens with high, punchy little chords, under which a motif appears in parallel octaves. Already the texture is unusual and captures the listener. Where does it go next? E perhaps, or D minor? No, off to G minor. It's clear that this is not a bland arrangement, and the return to A minor via E sees the chord of E imbued with a fiery freshness precisely because the harmonies are that little bit more rich. The piece develops with an almost conversational interchange across the parts, spanning over two octaves. There is a certain amount of blending together of the opening and second phrase that makes the progress through the piece seem effortless. Individual one-bar motifs re-appear over different harmonies to excellent effect, and give a sense of motion and continuity. The piece is AABAC with the final A phrase having just 3 or 4 notes different from the opening phrase. The final section preserves the shape and style of the open section. What for me is a great selling point is that the music isn't hard. If you think tango, you'll think punchy, tight, playing, and there's no point trying to read, play, articulate and listen if the music's a real wrestling match. This is probably Grade 5 and no higher, though an amount of ensemble experience will be needed so that no-one hesitates - tightness is all. The music is peppered with staccato marks to help shape the articulation. The chords are marked as staccato quavers (eighth notes) and rests, so a measure of the punchiness required is clear. And I think that although this tightness will be a new technique to many who will be tackling this piece, it makes such a massive difference to the texture that everyone in the ensemble will strive to play really abruptly.
There is no fingering, but there doesn't need to be - it's all under the fingers and there are no page turns. I recommend this piece!
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
