Sergio Assad
Doberman- Yppan: 11 pages
Sérgio Assad is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger who often performs with his brother, Odair in the guitar duo Sérgio and Odair Assad. This latest piece came about as a result of a request to write a piece in homage to David Russell. Having previously used a method whereby every letter of a dedicatee’s name is given a musical note, Assad decided to use the same system again, this time including his mum and dad, Anne and Rusty, along with his wife’s name Maria Jesus, and of course his own. A couple of dances were used in the piece an Irish Gigue, representing David’s Celtic origins, and a Muneira, a dance from Galicia, where David and his family live. They are separated in the score by a love song based on Maria Jesus’ name.
So the piece begins with Rusty and Anne’s tone row (all the names are marked on the score when they appear) in a free introduction that ends on an arpeggiated harmonic chord, which then becomes a Tempo Giusto, and a leaping semi – quaver figure based on David’s name. There are some glissandi and portamentos in quick succession, and generally a large number of instructions to be followed, and the music never sits still, but is constantly racing around and therefore becoming a real challenge to the guitarist,. So he has to be advanced in his technique to cope with the demands of this extended piece.
Needless to say this composer always writes exceedingly well for his instrument and it should prove very popular with listeners and guitarists alike
Chris Dumigan
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