Quatre pièces intimes is composed in 1980 according to Bogdanovic's official homepage. The piece is dedicated to Croatian cellist Valter Dešpalj with whom Bogdanovic performed together. This beautiful and delicate piece shows Bogdanovic's affection to Balkan folk music. In this video Duo Vitare performs the 3rd and 4th movement of Quatre pièces intimes.
The second composition for cello and guitar according to Bogdanovic's homepage is Deep Voices for cello (or bassoon) and guitar. For some reason this composition is not published. Or at least we haven't found the published score. There is also a version made for flute and guitar.
In the 1990's Bogdanovic didn't write anything for cello-guitar duo. Maybe Dusan himself didn't perform anymore with Valter Despalj and there wasn't any other duos to commision more pieces. There are some trios where cello and guitar appears with third instrument - Over the Edge for violin, cello and guitar; A Pole Star for bass flute, cello and guitar (arr. by James Smith).
In 2004 finally Bogdanovic started working with new piece for cello and guitar. Rainforest Canticles is dedicated to Bugarski-Ignjatovic duo. According to their new CD Southeast Meets Southwest Bogdanovic composed this piece during his stay in Hawaii. So writes Zarko Ignjatovic about their co-operation: " I first met Bogdanovic at a guitar festival in Amsterdam. Since then we have been seeing each other at different events all over the world. Being a devoted admirer of his compositions, I have occasionally performed them to him and finally asked him to compose something completely new, just for us. He grinned in his particular way and playfully remarked - Well, I could compose something challenging! - At about the same time (in 2004) he bought a cottage in Hawaii. Right there, in the woods, away from city noise and near volcano craters, Rainforest Canticles emerged."
This wonderfully piece shows Bogdanovic's "mature" style which is a unique fusion of classical European music, Balkan folk music, American jazz and blues and African polyrhythms. Rainforest Canticles has reached very high in our list of favourite cello-guitar music. Duo Vitare probably performed it first time ever in Finland during the 2nd Luomus Music Festival in Jyväskylä.
This video was made during Luomus Music Festival in July 2013. Duo Vitare plays 3 movements of Dusan Bogdanovic's Rainforest Canticles:
- I Morning
- II The Forest Goblins
- IV In the Vog (Note: Vog is volcano fog)
We hope this won't be the last piece for cello and guitar by Dusan Bogdanovic. Rainforest Canticles shows that cello and guitar can form a duo full of colours and expression.
Kimmo Rahunen
Duo Vitare
www.duovitare.com
