Shostakovich's famous Waltz No. 2
An easily playable arrangement of this lively and popular piece for a four- or at most three-piece guitar ensemble.
Lean back with your eyes wide shut and indulge in the music - that's what Dmitri Shostakovich's Waltz No. 2 from the suite for vaudeville orchestra from the fifties. Eyes Wide Shut is also the name of Stanley Kubrick's film, which made this melody even more popular twenty years ago.
In the arrangement for four guitars by Michel Démarez, each voice is assigned a function which it retains throughout the piece. The first takes the lead and plays the melody. The second moves in parallel sixths, then in thirds or even in octaves. Only towards the end of the second part does it buzz through the overall sound with virtuoso quavers as an independent middle voice. The third voice is responsible for the harmonic framework. It is usually, but not always, very easy to play. However, where the chords are somewhat more difficult to grasp, they could be simplified without any problems - for example in the context of a performance at a music school. In the fourth part, apart from two short passages, only the bass notes of the third are doubled; they could be omitted if necessary and the piece played as a trio. Conclusion: A lively addition to the repertoire of easily playable literature for guitar ensemble.
Dmitri Shostakovich: Waltz No. 2 from "Suite for Variety Orchestra", arranged for four guitars by Michel Démarez, UE 36748, € 14.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
