Dedicated to Kami Rowan, this is a substantial single movement work from accomplished performer and lecturer, and recently-turned composer. Substantial in that even the part scores are eight pages long, though I was at once delighted to see that each part had the final page duplicated on a single sheet, so that the one awkward page turn could be tackled either as a turn, or by making the score three pages wide instead of two. A nice touch. A haunting opening introduces a hemiola style mix of rhythm that is explored much more later in the piece. The 'portamento' in the title is held in the wings until bar 34, where generous glissandi are asserted, imitated and shared between guitars as the music builds. A delightful and delicate scherzo pops into view and the hemiolas reappear with a dramatic section in three parallel octaves before the scherzo returns in a slightly darker orchestration. Massive glissandi introduce a key change and a hint of a reprise before a rather cheeky extended section with grace-note length slides. A true reprise of the opening follows before a rather stylish mix and match of the major parts of the piece, making this 360-bar piece (lasting about ten minutes) move along very nicely. The ending, as one might expect, is both dramatic and stuffed to the gills with portamenti. Surprisingly under the fingers, and orchestrated with a real understanding of how to ensure the ensemble stays tight, this doesn't require a particularly advanced technique in order to get through it.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
