Some of the rather undeserved 'perks' of being in a Guitar Society include getting some nice 'surprises' sent through the post for review
One such delightful surprise was a copy of the scores and CD for John W Powells ' Seven Nocturnes for Classical Guitar'. I felt that Christmas had come early!!
The pieces are beautifully arranged and , like all great music pieces, disarmingly simple to perform. However I find them incredibly complex in intensity and delivery which is why I enjoy them so much. Nocturnes refer to musical compositions that are evocative of the night and John's pieces don't disappoint. They are reminiscent not of the night so much but of a nice warm evening, sitting outside in the garden, watching the sunset over a glass (or two) of red wine along with some cheese and olives. Even in London!!
The pieces are a delight for listening. My particular favorite is Nocturne No 3 (Lento) where the application of a couple of B flat notes among a range of arpeggios convey a rather melancholy, wistfulness to a warm evening.
They are also a delight to play as well. My sight reading, as my colleagues at the Bromley Guitar Society will attest) is not particularly that great. However the simplicity of John's arrangements of the Nocturnes make the performance an easy and particularly satisfying experience. This is helped by the relaxed advice John provides in the score notes.
You can experience a taste by watching John perform Nocturne No 1 (I also note from the video that John also has a nice stock of wine bottles at close hand which strikes me as eminently sensible!!)
If you are interested in buying a copy of the music and CD, please contact John at his email address howmusicworks@yahoo.co.uk
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