Celil Refik Kaya
Les Productions D’Oz: 8 pages
I have seen a number of this Turkish composer’s pieces before, and they’ve all been good, but this latest one is outstanding.
The Prelude, set in Dm in 6/8 with a dropped D 6th begins with a rising arpeggiated idea with the melody at the top, a style of composition that many have used before, you might say, but this latest piece has some achingly beautiful harmonies that really work if you take the piece a little slower than , say , the barcarolle speed you might think it requires ( there is incidentally , no speed marking on the piece) .Taking the work that little bit slower makes you savour the unexpected change in harmony and melody that make this such a fabulous piece. I could almost see it as a film theme, it is that haunting. Not that this is an easy piece, far from it, for some of the arpeggiated stretches are rather large , and you have to take great care of the special fingering in some places , which often are the only way you can play that particular bar , and create the desired effect.
The Dance that follows, also in Dm, is a continuous semi – quaver dash around the fingerboard where nothing is expected, and nowhere is the music hackneyed or obvious. It is definitely a few steps up in difficulty from the previous Prelude, but again is unexpected in so many places that one can only smile at the invention of this composer. The semiquaver rhythm almost never gives up and after a particularly effective climactic section, the coda takes one more dash up and slide down the fingerboard for a very effective ending.
This is such an effective pairing, needing considerable technique but well worth it for any players capable of delivering everything this composer requires in this stunning work.
Chris Dumigan
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