Sanja Plohl
Bergmann Edition: Score and separate parts: (9, 4, and 4 pages respectively)
Slovenian – born Sanja Plohl whose pieces I have not seen before, has here written a 110 bar, moderate standard piece for two equal guitar players. They have to be adept at playing in multiple time signatures and in the introduction of the first 18 bars , guitar 2 has to be very good at playing some semi- quaver runs full of cross- stringing, in slightly unusual patterns.
This introductory idea, marked Tranquillo at 55 crotchets a minute, has long noted pairs of thirds in guitar one with these arpeggio patterns on guitar two, and it moves from 4/4 to 3 / 4 with 5/8 and 2/4 into the mix also. Then at bar 19 a Ritmico instruction takes the speed up to 130 to 150 crotchets a minute and this is where the main idea enters, mostly in 7/8 but with moments of 3 / 4 and 4/4, which consists of a running quaver idea in both guitars, firstly largely in octaves, before at bar 33, harmonizing in sixths, and thirds, whilst each mimicking the same pattern shape. At bar 75 it then evolves into 6/8, 9/8, 5/8 and 8/8 this time with the second part imitating the top part three quavers behind. A pianissimo long chord, leads to a varied return of the original idea, before a brief Meno Mosso and a pause leads to the final 5 bars coda with both guitars playing the quaver passage again in octaves, with a final staccato accented group of A’s to close.
This was a nice piece to play, with the quaver patterns followed by both guitars through all the time changes, sounding quite effective at the required speed, and the music itself modern but friendly throughout, and as such is therefore worth getting to know better, if you have a decent duet partner.
Chris Dumigan
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