Roland Chadwick Review of "One" @ iTunes By: Timothy Smith n a perfect world, I would be writing individual reviews such as this for each of the compositions on this disc. I have spent countless hours listening, learning, performing, and teaching the music of contemporary greats such as Brouwer, Domeniconi, and Dyens; and to this list I will now add Roland Chadwick. Bluntly, his music is nothing short of genius. The works that Chadwick selected for this recording cover a cross section of his oeuvre, showcasing his awesome versatility as a composer. The pieces range from a single movement gem to cohesive larger scale compositions. Each work is a delicate balance of melodic content, harmonic effect, overall form, and extended guitar techniques. In "Song and Dance No.1" and in "Song and Dance No.2" Chadwick creates evocative soundscapes that possess enormous potential for growth. He often times closes major works with passages that include both plucked pitches as well as strumming, and not once does this pairing come across as forced or ineffective, which is often the case with other composers. Separating these two pieces on the disc both physically and compositionally is "Dances for Winter Oakwood". This five movement work harkens back to baroque compositions with its careful polyphony and stable, peaceful rhythms. This is all complimented by Chadwick's excellent guitar playing, which is at the same time warm and expressive, while being clean and controlled. Feeling that a review of this scope simply does not do justice to this disc, I will leave you with my greatest praise: Chadwick's sheet music is also available, and as his CD takes an honoured place in my collection, his works will soon too take an honoured place in my personal repertoire. © Timothy Smith / Minor 7th Song And Dance No. 1: Song Song And Dance No. 1: Dance Dances For Winter Oakwood: Processional Dances For Winter Oakwood: Dusk On... Song And Dance No. 2: Adagio Partita No. 2: Prelude Maria