Charabia

This piece is dedicated to Richard Wright, that man behind the curtain, so passionate about music education. Many of the chords are simpler than the ink would suggest, and so are the motifs, which have a preponderance of flats. The flats and the ease of producing the big chords combine to give a lush and mellow opening to the piece. There are pizzicato and string scrape effects that sit in 2/4 time behind a 3/4 motif that is shared amongst the guitars. The texture is surprisingly light, and not just where there are rests, of which there are many. It is that delicacy which means that many of the harmonie clashes, and there are some big ones, are interesting rather than grating, poignant rather than threatening. Although not technically oppressive (once the tlats are beaten into submission), there are long tracts of quavers (eighth notes) across all parts that will require a controlled technique and sympathetic phrasing to be successful. Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)