Reviews

'As always, it was sheer pleasure to observe Robin Hill's remarkable fluent technique: everything looks easy when he plays it.' Colin Cooper- Classical Guitar Magazine ----- 'Wonderful for their (Hill & Wiltschinsky) precision, touch and clarity of sound... refined virtuosity, the achievement of a long interpretive process.' Il Giornale D'Italia (Rome) ----- 'I loved your CD and thought your technique and performance were fabulous...' Rick Wakeman

Friday, February 08, 2008

Robin Hill and Eklectica Play 'Eternal Dance'

'Eternal Dance' was originally composed for the quartet and later expanded into a piece for guitar and orchestra. The concerto version can be heard on Robin's 'Virtuoso' album.

'Eternal Dance' has an unusual, but highly rhythmic, time signature of 5/8 with the occasional bars of 7/8.
Also, for anyone who wants to try and play it, the piece features a scordatura tuning for the guitar, with bottom E tuned down to C, and A down to G.
The piece is in the key of C minor.

The Eklectica version commences with a solo guitar which sets the rhythm for the piece, and gradually various percussion is added.
Robin uses rasgueados to reinforce the rhyhthm before Daniel Bath's vocal entry.
After the guitar has re-stated the theme, percussion, bass and piano all join in with sparing timpani adding drama at strategic points.

Eternal Dance is 5 minutes and 4 seconds long, and as the name suggests, it seems fitting to end by fading out rather than an abrupt conclusion.
Consequently Robin finishes on an improvised guitar line, gradually disappearing into the distance.

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