Critiques

PUBLICATIONS

 

FREDONNEMENTS – Cinecittà
DZ 794 - 32 p., Niveau 3-4

Classical Guitar Magazine (Angleterre)
Derek Hasted

CINECITTÀ is a lengthy piece with 220 bars of music, but it is not too complex and players working for Grade 8 would find this quite playable.The music starts in 2/2 time at a spirited pace with some punchy staccato and a jaunty style - definitely modern but definitely musical. The piece is long enough to give Mr Gagnon time to weave in new themes, and a waltz-like centre movement in a new key makes for a pleasing contrast. The reprise is nicely embellished with a lively rhythm and a little percussion.

 

FREDONNEMENTS – Danse des Muses callipyges
DZ 795 - 32 p., Niveau 3-4

Classical Guitar Magazine (Angleterre)
Derek Hasted

DANSE DES MUSES CALLIPYGES is much more energetic with a 3,3,2 rasgueado in 8/8 time presaging a lively theme that is both Canarios-like yet modern. As the mood builds there is a dramatic and rhythmic section. The music moves on as if to reprise the opening section, but the rhythm is no longer 8/8 but rather a demanding mix of 8/8, 4/4, 9/8, 6/8 and 6/4, so cool heads are needed! The whole piece is repeated, so that this is also a long movement and fully capable of holding its own as a stand-alone piece.

The part scores are laid out to minimize page turns. An interesting suite for the advanced intermediate quartet.

 

FREDONNEMENTS – Lachrimae
DZ 796 - 16 p., Niveau 3-4

Classical Guitar Magazine (Angleterre)
John Arran

This is the third in a series of pieces under the collective title Fredonnements. Whether there is any connection with the “Hums” of a famous bear I know not!

We are given no indications of expression at the start of the score, only a metronome marking. However the music speaks for itself; on looking at the opening melody if can only be described as languid, having the most lovely shape and form. ln the first section guitars 2, 3 and 4 support and point this languid melody with block chords, but this is done so simply and beautifully. The piece begins to move forward with the individual parts being given their freedom for a few bars. Now pedal notes in two of the voices bring the music to a Più mosso e movido. here the mood becomes more strident moving towards a pause which brings us back to Tempo I and a return to the opening melody. A three-bar poco allarg. brings us to the end of what is a most satisfying and lovely piece.

 

FREDONNEMENTS – The Menlove Avenue Dreamer
DZ 797 - 36 p., Niveau 3-4

Classical Guitar Magazine (Angleterre)
Chris Dumigan

THE MENLOVE AVENUE DREAMER is the fourth in a set of pieces for a quartet of guitars (all published separately) and coming under the main title of Fredonnements. This final movement of the set has a curious title which I assume to be a reference to John Lennon who once lived in Menlove Avenue.

It opens with a widely spaced chord based on whole tones spread over the four players. The whole tone scale was widely used by Debussy and other French composers particularly and definitely conveys the dreaminess of the title in spite of it developing into an insistent rhythmic idea shortly after. Then a rather oriental first guitar melody continues the theme over repeated chords elsewhere before high pitched shriek like sounds on guitar two leads to the players 3 and 4 having to shout the word “Shoot!” over a climactic staccato idea in guitars 1 and 2. This obvious reference to Lennon's murder leads to a moment of hiatus before everything dies down uneasily on a semi-tonal crunch. Then a Più lento idea over a pizzicato bass and sustained chords in guitars 2 and 3 heralds in an emotive melody which subsequently returns to Tempo I where an agitated repeated chord accompaniment is surrounded by high and low tremolando single note lines. Then an ad lib. solo section on guitar 1 leads to a slightly latin rhythm over which an arpeggiated melody holds sway. Ideas are constantly changing now and (...) continues right to the coda where everything dies away on an E minor chord.

This is an interesting piece, dramatic and a little unusual in one or two areas that would benefit any relatively advanced quartet.

 

FRÉQUENCE PÉKINOISE - for pipa, guitar and violin
DZ 484 - 7 pages plus parts

Classical Guitar Magazine (Angleterre)
John Arran

As usual with this publisher, both score and parts are printed in an exemplary way.

Claude Gagnon is a guitar teacher in Quebec performing in various ensembles, a fact, which shows in his writing for the instrument in this piece. The writing is fluent, using exactly the right register to allow the guitar to speak with an equal voice in the company of the panpipes and violin.

The work is full of delightful sonorities and is a joy to play (apart from the last section where the guitar sustains a not too easy left-hand stretch), each instrument has a melodic solo but it is in the ensemble sections that the music really takes flight.

Highly recommended.

 

CONCERTO EN RÉ MAJEUR RV93, A. Vivaldi
DZ 229 - 12 pages + parties séparées, Niveau 3

Classical Guitar
Abigad James

This arrangement of the D major lute concerto by Vivaldi has much to recommend it. It comes in the form of score plus two individual parts and there is only one awkward page turn between the two main sections of the first movement. Inevitably, guitar I has all the interest of the solo part and guitar 2 the arrangement of the string accompaniment and continuo realisation. The latter part is simple and fits well under the fingers. The first and third movements work very well indeed. It is only in the beautiful Largo that you really miss the sustained sound of the original string accompaniment underlying the solo line. In this movement the repeats are written out with what I presume is Gagnon's ornamentation and elaboration of the melodic line added the second time round. This is tasteful and varied, with only one or two moments when perhaps one might have left a phrase alone.

Both parts and score are mercifully free of all but the barest of fingerings and have very little in the way of articulation markings. I rather like that. as it leaves the player a clean slate to find their own style of playing the music and to solve their own technical difficulties.

Given that the music is relatively simple, there should not be too many difficulties too solve and this arrangement would make a useful and delightful addition to any duo's programme.

 

CONCERTO EN RÉ MAJEUR Opus 3 No 9, A. Vivaldi
DZ 211 - 12 pages, Niveau 3

Soundboard
Abigad James

...this arrangement would make a useful and delightful addition to any duo's programme.

Soundboard
Uros Dojcinovic

Vivaldi’s original Concerto was written for violin, strings and continuo, and this fine arrangement is presented by Claude Gagnon with violin fingering done by Marc Gagnon. It is a typical three-movement Vivaldi concerto: Allegro, Larghetto, Allegro. This edition presents a very nice and clear score, plus separate parts for both instruments. The guitar in this arranged version has a full accompanying role, with lots of chords played mostly simultaneously, and some basses. Given that the piece is in D major, which very well suits the guitar, the entire concerto is far from being difficult, even for much less advanced guitar players, and gives the real opportunity for well-done chamber cooperation with the main instrument, the violin. It is obvious that the present arrangement was made by skilled musicians, and Claude Gagnon’s chamber-playing experience is evident. Knowing that the sound combination of violin and guitar gives one of the most delightful chamber results, not much more is needed to be said about this nice title.

 

DÉJÀ VU
DZ 193 - 19 pages

Les Cahiers de la guitare et de la musique (France) no 73 2000
Dominique Marie

Pour cycle 1, voici quatorze pièces aux climats typés, souvent exotiques ; Marrakech, Bonsaï, Chanson Slave, Kift, Bagdad... Toute la panoplie des premiers outils du guitariste y est : écartement 1-4, sixtes, mélodies au pouce, ostinato, liaisons, accords enjambés, rythmes divers... Ces petites pages rafraîchissantes sont souvent inspirées, comme les beaux Farewell, Mélancolique ou Remembrance, et l'impression à la fois musicale et ludique de ce recueil le rend très attachant.

 

LA FORÊT ENCHANTÉE
DZ 192 - 28 pages

Les Cahiers de la guitare et de la musique (France) no 73 2000
Dominique Marie

De la même veine mais pour plus avancés, voici douze pièces de deux pages chacune, ce qui laisse plus de temps pour développer. L'inspiration poétique de Claude Gagnon est renforcée par la mise en page de l'éditeur, où une feuille d'arbre vient ponctuer la musique...

Nains, lutins et farfadets ne sont pas des personnages tristes et l'humour et la cocasserie ne sont pas absents. Mais la volonté coloriste de l'auteur nous emporte aussi dans d'autres climats, plus mélancoliques (Triste gnome) où fées et nymphes chantent d'une manière fraîche, avec une guitare au naturel qui sonne. Pour cycle 2.

 

LA FORÊT ENCHANTÉE - pour guitare solo
DZ 192 - 28 pages

Classical Guitar Magazine (Angleterre) février 2000
Steve Marsh

Over the past few years, this publishing company has produced some admirable publications; they are well presented with clean and easy-to-read printing and usually contain very good student material. This edition under review is no exception.

Claude Gagnon presently teaches guitar at the Sainte-Foy College, Quebec and has written for guitar trio, duo and cello &guitar. La Foret Enchantee is a collection of twelve interesting, entertainng and educational guitar solos. Ranging from around grade three with the enigmatic Chanson de fee through to around grade five with the jubilant Fete chez les lutins, this book has quite a number of contrasting pieces. Apres la pluie is a slow, impressionistic work with shades of Milan Tesar appearing in one or two places and Pour une Nymphe en Allee is a beautifully lyrical 'song' with a melancholy air. Compare these to the 'bass heavy, rhythmic Picnic of the Pigs and the very enjoyable tribute to the most influential pop group in musical history Four Beetles in a Strawberry Field, with infuriatingly small snippets of the melodies and harmonies from a few Beatles songs.

The rest of the ocmpositions are euelly as enjoyable and contain quite a number of practical and useful considerations for the student to get to grips with. Rather than insert a blank page to avoid an awkward page turn, this publisher printed a nice photo of a group of trees where the blank page would have been. Rather a nice thought that.

 

Kamendja - pour 2 guitares
DZ 110 - 33 pages (scores and parts)

Classical Guitar Magazine (Angleterre) novembre 1998
Paul Fowles

A composer who, according to the preface, once wrote a piece for guitar and cello entitled Hello Cello clearly, needs to be treated with some caution, but I'm pleased to report that Kamendja is a powerful and imaginative concert work in three movements. The title, it seems, refers to a bowed instrument from north west Africa, and the musical content is every inch the aggressive, tribal stuff we were all secretly hoping it would be.

The opening Rencontre, in which the two guitars start by hamering out a syncopated theme one octave apart, sounds pretty much like a declaration of war on any third party who happens to be around, and it is only in the central Séduction that any kind of civilised dialogue is allowed to develop. In the final Célébration, triumphant chord strums in 10/8 lead to an impressive display of percussive effects, all of which are fully explained in the preface.

Not the most sophisticated work ever published, but an honest and enthusiastic piece of writing which I confidently predict will be as much fun to hear as it is to play.

 

SONATE Opus 1 No 11, G.F. Handel
DZ 78 - 8 pages + parties séparées, Niveau 3

Les Cahiers de la guitare
Geneviève Chanut

...Voilà une très belle oeuvre et une réalisation intéressante pour sa couleur, si la transparence sonore et la clarté d'articulation sont préservées.

Soundboard
Garth Baxter

This Handel sonate is a pleasant addition to guitar literature and a great piece for college ensembles. It is typical baroque fare, with the violin taking the lead and the guitar and cello acting as continuo parts. Occasionally the guitar does get some interesting secondary melodic material, but the cello plays a simple bass fine throughout. Even so, the work is at the intermediate lever for all performers.

There are four movements-a slow first movement, and allegro in binary form as a second movement, a gentle siciliana third movement, and a quick allegro in binary form in 6/8 for the close... ...The guitar part was originally a figured bass accompaniment. It has been realized, I assume, by Gagnon. He has written an interesting guitar part, which will make the work a pleasure to play...

...The publication is nicely presented. The page turns come between movements, and the piece is easy to read...

...Overall, this is an enjoyable addition to the guitar repertoire. Teachers and performers who enjoy good baroque music and ensemble playing will want to add this piece to their music libraries.

 

DOUZE PRÉLUDES EN FORME D'ÉTUDES
DO171 1994 - 23 pages

Soundboard (GFA USA) Spring 1996
David Grimes

This set of Preludes/Etudes by Canadian guitarist/composer Claude Gagnon offers a dozen charming pieces in a quasi-impressionistic style. The "etude" side of the equation covers campanella fingerings, slurs, arpeggios, harmonics, left-hand fingerindependence, melodies against pedal points or ostimato figures and metric shifts, and the technical points are integrated ingeniously with the musical concepts.

The music itself is both ingratiating and satisfying, and any student will enjoy working out the technical challenges within such a pleasant framework. The difficulty level lies in the intremediate range, and these could easily be used as an alternative to Brouwer's "Simple Etudes". Like the Brouwer pieces, these would stand quite well in performance. I like these very much, and I recommend them with enthusiasm.

 

DOUZE PRÉLUDES EN FORME D'ÉTUDES
DO 171 - 23 pages

Les Cahiers de la guitare (France) 3ième trimestre 1995

Voici de bonnes études en tout cas techniquement profitables, car l'intérêt musical en est moins évident - pourtant quelques trouvailles bienvenues dans la première, laissaient présager mieux du reste. Ces oeuvres emploient beaucoup d'arpèges et de campanellas qui peuvent aider à la découverte de l'instrument. Quelques autres sont en accords ou en style de mélodies accompagnées, mais l'ensemble reste cependant souvent répétitif.

 

HELLO CELLO
DO 172 - 7 pages + violoncelle en partie séparée, 3 pages

Les Cahiers de la guitare (France) 4ième trimestre 1995
 

Cette oeuvre dynamique et rapide est d'une seule coulée. Le violoncelle y est traité constamment mélodiquement. La guitare y assure plutôt l'accompagnement mais à certains moments se charge également de la mélodie; il y a donc dialogue entre les deux instruments. L'oeuvre ressemble un peu à une sorte de danse ancienne, mais qui n'a pas peur de se pimenter très vite de recherches rythmiques et de dissonances très modernes. Elle est intéressante pour cet assemblage inusité.

 

CHANSONS ET DANSES POPULAIRES
DO22 - 28 pages, niveau 2

Soundboard
John Duarte

Ce livre contient 20 petites pièces inspirées par des chansons et des danses folkloriques, pour la plupart du Québec et de la France. On y trouve également quelques compositions originales de Claude Gagnon. Les mélodies attrayantes sont pour la plupart arrangées pour le jeu à 2 voix et elles constitue du matériel très utile pour les étudiants de 2e et 3e année. Une collection très plaisante de petites pièces... chaudement recommandée pour tous ceux qui aiment les belles mélodies.