PartiTango

www.kindle project cd Eos Guitar Quartet

https://open.spotify.com/album/1VxyP5RVcN8OfOnGoo4WHp?si=6Ux2qB63THW4-UyTz38-Eg

This 97-bar piece is fun, no doubt about it. Suited to an intermediate quartet, the music is well written to exploit the sort of shapes and position work that are the most familiar to an ensemble that is still growing in experience, but it does so without sounding «samey« or stale. With a nice variety of runs, arpeggios and strummed chords there is plenty of variety for both player and listener. Set in A minor the opening sees guitar one working a lot harder than his companions in some rather pleasant arpeggios before guitar two takes a little solo, as the ensemble rejoins, big chords help grow the volume. There are some nice cross rhythms and the dynamics are well indicated so that there is no intention of missing some of the tricks that the composer intends.
The large chords are shared around - each guitar part has a fistful of, well, not dollars, but pretty familiar chord shapes.
It's a fun piece, and with excursions into the major keys and some big powerful minor chords on its return this is enjoyable to play. I have a soft spot for tangos, and this is a satisfyingly smoldering one that intermediate players will enjoy.
-Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)

 

For this intriguing quartet, Kindle has cleverly re-imagined the Allegro from Bach’s Partita for violin, BWV 1003, using the thematic materials and many of the specific gestures to create an energetic tango. This works surprisingly well, and the result will be enjoyable bath for those unfamiliar with the Bach and for those who know it well. It is also fun for the players. Such reworking of earlier compositions has a long and (mostly) reputable tradition, including Bach’s own usage of works by Vivaldi. This particular example calls to mind Carlos Perez’s delightfully witty Divertissements sur un thème de Vivaldi (d’OZ publication DZ 811, also for four guitars), which morphs a brief Largo by Vivaldi into a series of South American dances. The PartiTango is not difficult to play, and it could be a real hit with amateur and professional ensembles.
-David Grimes (Soundboard Magazine)