English Serenade

"Written for Luka Vlasic and the Pozega School of Music Guitar Orchestra, this is a standard quartet, and doesn't use guitar orchestra instruments at all, so it's readily accessible to quartets and larger ensembles. Guitar Four is tuned to 6=D and D major is the key we start in. The bass line opens with a 3:3:2 rhythm, which provides a natural platform for a melody where the middle beat of the 4/4 bar is often syncopated - moved forward with a tie. [...] there is much attention to detail [...], where motifs are passed from line to line, canon-like, but with a gentle treatment that supports the lyrical melodies. Care will be needed to damp that open bottom D. The texture changes - crisp, tightly articulated chords and a more urgent melody. And then we find a sudden modulation to Bb, all the while maintain­ing that tight texture. The chords are thickened with the deep bass and the pitch range at work here keeps the voices well separated. The piece essentially reflects on itself a bit, with the phrases returning in reverse order, before a final section that fades lyrically away with some charming repetition. Is it for you? The overall standard is not going to scare people away - Grade 5 guitarists would be able to piece this together very successfully - the writing gives the music a well-defined beat which will lock the parts together. Some of the harmonies are a little coarse in places - there are bars where passing notes are played along with fixed chord notes, and there's a definite clash. But the clash is gone as soon as it arrived. [...] Does the title suit the piece? That's for you to decide!"

Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)