Look At The Big Birds
"World Music for Young Guitarists"
What a delight! I’ve never encountered anything quite like this, and I welcome it. This is a set of works for student guitarists—or, more accurately, for teachers to perform with their students, so one part may be more demanding than the other. The music, all arranged by Dusan Bogdanovic, takes its sources from, well, everything. It opens with Ein Feste Burg, followed by an Azerbaijani folk song, then Korea, then Danemark, then Hawaii, Greece, Indonesia, Namibia, Ireland, Ecuador—you name it. 28 pieces in all, each more charming than all the others, none longer than a couple of minutes. He even includes the Epitaph of Seikilos from Ancient Greece; perhaps the world’s oldest preserved song. Performing demands are modest, but one still must work with asymmetrical rhythms, harmonics, tonal effects, percussion effects in the African pieces, and slide for the Hawaiian.
Bogdanovic is well known to guitarists, as a performer and as a composer whose work is strongly influenced by his Balkan roots. Here he goes beyond that to the whole world. Teachers with any sense of adventure will welcome this. I won’t even complain about the brief total time--there is just as much as needed and another different piece would break the spell. Francisco Bernier was reviewed under Abril earlier in this issue, and with his partner Carmen Alvarez performs with sparkle and joy (they are also president and managing director of this Contrastes label, which they co-founded).
Earlier this season I reviewed a wonderful recital by Thomas Hampson. He often performs songs from a wide variety of sources, and his philosophy is a simple one. “If we all knew each other’s songs, we’d be less likely to shoot at each other.” May Mr. Bogdanovic’s project bring that goal closer.
Keaton
American Record Guide, September/October 2015
| Featured Product | No |
|---|---|
| Composer | BOGDANOVIC, DUSAN |
| Availability | Available |
| TAB/Notation | Music Notation Only |
| Level of Difficulty | 3 |
| Description | What a delight! I’ve never encountered anything quite like this, and I welcome it. This is a set of works for student guitarists—or, more accurately, for teachers to perform with their students, so one part may be more demanding than the other. The music, all arranged by Dusan Bogdanovic, takes its sources from, well, everything. It opens with Ein Feste Burg, followed by an Azerbaijani folk song, then Korea, then Danemark, then Hawaii, Greece, Indonesia, Namibia, Ireland, Ecuador—you name it. 28 pieces in all, each more charming than all the others, none longer than a couple of minutes. He even includes the Epitaph of Seikilos from Ancient Greece; perhaps the world’s oldest preserved song. Performing demands are modest, but one still must work with asymmetrical rhythms, harmonics, tonal effects, percussion effects in the African pieces, and slide for the Hawaiian. Bogdanovic is well known to guitarists, as a performer and as a composer whose work is strongly influenced by his Balkan roots. Here he goes beyond that to the whole world. Teachers with any sense of adventure will welcome this. I won’t even complain about the brief total time--there is just as much as needed and another different piece would break the spell. Francisco Bernier was reviewed under Abril earlier in this issue, and with his partner Carmen Alvarez performs with sparkle and joy (they are also president and managing director of this Contrastes label, which they co-founded). Earlier this season I reviewed a wonderful recital by Thomas Hampson. He often performs songs from a wide variety of sources, and his philosophy is a simple one. “If we all knew each other’s songs, we’d be less likely to shoot at each other.” May Mr. Bogdanovic’s project bring that goal closer. Keaton American Record Guide, September/October 2015 |