Simone Iannarelli
Les Productions D’Oz: 18 pages
Many of Italian – born Iannarelli’s compositions have come my way over the years, and they always have something to say. This latest set might be miniature in size but most certainly are not devoid of anything to say , as each of them is utterly different from its companions, each has a title that is often a little enigmatic, and each one occupies its own very original sound – world that at times leaves you surprised and occasionally shocked.
Every one of them is in a style that you will not have witnessed before. They are THAT unusual, and yet nothing is atonal or keyless although one or two come somewhat near to it. To mention a few of these pieces, the set opens with A Lo Lejos Alguien Canta ( In the distance someone sings) which has a l.v. sempre indication, and from the opening relies on all the patterns , (of which there are many) ringing on , and the end result is that you really do need the fingerings and string indications , because they are quite different to any you may have seen before. The following one Lengua Llena de Guerra y de Cantos ( Language full of War and Songs) is utterly bizarre, and the piece that gets nearest to atonality, as it does consist of deliberate harmonic crunches placed next to one another in a situation where everything is meant to shock the player, or the listener. El Tiempo de la Uvas ( No6) is an Allegro Vivace with a dropped D 6th , that again has multiple time signatures, a great deal of sudden change from one theme or rhythm to another with no obvious development and a sudden Lento close whilst the following No7 Rapido Y Lento En La Energia Subceleste ( Fast and Slow in Subcelestial Energy) has an Eb 6th string, and again numerous rhythmic ideas involving demi – semi –quaver runs, to quintuplets, and multiple rhythmic changes and several voices at once.No9, Abeja Blanca Zumbas ( White Bee Zumbas) is a piece full of mordents that consistently pull off to a note below, which I assume to be the bee reference ) and is a Vivace, with a melody line that really proves difficult to get your fingers around, whilst the final Este Es Un Puerto ( This is a Port) has a bottom string to F , and multiple time signatures, 7/8, 13/16, 5/8, 4/8, 3/8, 9/16,11/16, 10/16, 7/16, and even a zero time signature at one point, and all in a piece of only 33 bars.
I can certainly recommend these not least for the manner with which the composer manages to present technical works that are at times almost studies, and then mixing them together in a way that makes them literally unlike anything else you may have played. As a result they are definitely only for the intermediate player upwards, as nothing here is playable by any moderate guitarist.
Chris Dumigan
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