Roland Dyens

Ville d'Avril

Ville d'Avril was premiered on 30 August 1997 as part of the 4th International Summer School in Martigny in eastern France, which I had the honour to direct. It lasts exactly the same length of time as the original for solo guitar, of which it is almost an exact transcription for guitar quartet or guitar ensemble. The idea of transforming a single piece into singular or plural versions can obviously be viewed as a 'mere' composition exercise, but it is one that so fired my imagination that I had to try it immediately I had finished the 'mother' version. While on the one hand I had to retain the original music, I could, on the other, make the most of a new-found freedom in the organisation of the various voices now available. For me, it was a most interesting experiment, and I hope that performers will be equally tempted to try out both versions.

Roland Dyens