Dusan Bogdanovic : Winter Tale for Two Guitars : Doberman – Yppan

Dusan Bogdanovic

Doberman – Yppan: Score and Separate Parts: 8, 4, and 4 pages respectively

This composer is one of the most well – known in the guitar world with a great many publications and recordings of his works, although interestingly he has written for many other instruments /voices including ballets, piano works and even a work for 16 ceramic gongs in collaboration with Stephen Freedman, sculptor!

This latest work, dedicated to the Kupinski Guitar Duo has 4 sections, the first of which returns at the close of the piece. As you may know, if you have come across this man’s guitar works before, he writes in a totally unique style that relies a lot on complex rhythms and, at times, very unusual harmonies. The opening section is marked AD – Lib with each of the bars in a different time signature. Then a Moderato takes over   in G# minor, again in a mix of time signatures with the melody line beginning on guitar one, but then moving to guitar 2. The accompaniment is sometimes merely a bass/chord alternation although when the melody line is rhythmically very complex, this doesn’t necessarily make this easy, far from it. This section begins quietly with a gentle opening before gradually picking up in complexity and generally with the music getting much more full of shorter notes, mostly semi – quavers passages and sometimes including sextuplet and quintuplet groups too. After a huge climax involving multiple glissandi the opening section returns for a final three bars of a coda that closes on both guitars doing an extended tremolo on a chord of an altered E minor.

The piece is pleasant but very complex and would only suit a pair of very good players, but if you like the music of this man, then you will probably love this latest piece.

Chris Dumigan