Ninochka for guitar quartet / ensemble (2009)
Winner of 2009 Austin Classical Guitar Society Composition Competition
Dedicated to my mother, Nina. Ninochka is a diminutive form of her name, meaning “sweet little Nina.”
Recorded by Presti (Olga Amelkina-Vera, Lynn McGrath, and Valerie Hartzell) with guest Fernand Vera on their eponymous debut CD in 2013.
“Any edition marked ‘Winner of the 2009 Austin Classical Guitar Society Composition Competition’ is clearly going to be an enjoyable read, and this particular work is dedicated to the composer’s mother.
There are five performance indications of which the last is to stamp on the floor. The stamp is marked sfz, which I presume in this context is sforzando. Just in case the quartet is playing in a stone-floor church, there is a Bartok pizzicato from another player at the same time so that, one way or another, the audience will get their share of the passage marked ‘with attitude’.
This is quite a short piece, though there is a Dal Segno to bring it to 82 bars. There’s a lovely version on YouTube featuring the composer’s quartet, which repeats a more sizeable chunk of the work.
The quartet encompasses a mixture of styles - some rising diminished chords introduce an almost tango-like first theme that prefaces a pleasing melody that is almost entirely on the off-beat. The harmony here is light and not at all complicated, the chords being familiar and comfortable. The more aggressive section is also straightforward, though the counting will need to be accurate if the various percussive entries are to be on time.
There is a waltz section, and the composer achieves a lovely contrast across the piece without the join seeming artificial.
If you’ve listened on YouTube, you’ll want to know how hard this piece is. And here’s the good news - it’s really accessible. Simple familiar chord shapes and a measured pace make the piece about Grade 6-7 standard.
The part scores are fingered sparsely but exactly where needed and the articulation is clearly marked. There are no page turns and the score is refreshingly and invitingly easy on the eye, though the syncopated sections might need a little more attention to detail.
There’s a real clarity of purpose in this arrangement - it’s commendably spacious in sound and not at all complicated to play - here’s someone who understands that playing music and playing large quantities of notes aren’t the same thing. This is arranging as it should be - the overall sound is delightful, and it’s built from four modest and charming parts. I like it.”