Roland Chadwick
Bergmann Edition: Score and separate parts (96 pages score, 28 pages guitar part, plus 184 pages orchestral parts)
It is not very often that I get a new guitar concerto to review, but this one promised from the start to be something special, simply because this player/composer has done some amazing musical work over the years, and therefore I was keen to get started on it!
Set in three movements, the first called Brazil, the second Maria and the third Danza Del Rio, the concerto is now written for string quartet, contrabass, single winds, trumpet, French horn, and xylophone, after Roland had changed his mind about the size of the orchestra, and coming to the conclusion that for the time being a large orchestra would not be very practical.
The opening is a motto like theme on the guitar before the orchestra enter in force a few bars later. The guitar at bar 18 then comes in with the main theme and then all the players continue together for a time, with the guitar part quite complex and very Latin in style. At letter C the music becomes very ‘stop- go’ with almost all the players following this idea, while the soloist has some dramatic rasgueado chords and a high pitched accented melodic idea. This carries on in this fashion for a while until bar 90, Letter g when the speed changes to Moderato Con Espressivo with the soloist having a quite emotive little idea accompanied sparsely by the orchestra. After many several more new ideas and themes the initial tempo returns at bar 201, varied now with a number of new ideas emerging, and until the cadenza enters at bar 263.This is an extensive and very dramatic cadenza that is certainly one of the most interesting parts of the movement, leading to a tremolo section in the middle. The orchestra then come in at bar 346 and many of the themes re-enter for one final time before the final climactic coda where a flourish on the guitar brings it to a fortissimo close.
The slow movement, sub – titles Maria is emotive and begins expressively on the orchestra before the guitar enters 19 bars later, with a theme marked ‘ Like a Love Song’. A number of ideas then enter before the movement closes on the guitar’s emotional final theme accompanied by some very quiet accompaniment.
The final movement Danza Del Rio is an Allegro 2/2 set at 85 minims a minute, and begins with multiple strums and percussive effects on the guitar set to some offbeat rhythms in the orchestra. The dance style is always uppermost and all the players including the guitar have a lot to play and as a result the music is exciting and full of offbeat accented rhythms. The final coda is climactic and has a surprising lead up to the final bar where the chords are deliberately slightly unusual as they hammer home their rasgueado.
This is a superb piece of writing, full of great melodies and exciting musical moments, and it no doubt goes without saying that the guitarist has to be very good indeed to do this great new concerto full justice. So here’s hoping that an orchestra takes it up and we get to hear it live!
Chris Dumigan
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