Atanas Ourkouzounov
Doberman – Yppan: 8 pages
Ourkouzounov’s music is steeped in the contemporary sound of his native Bulgaria, as evidenced by his very free use of time signatures and unusual multiple groupings of notes. So in this latest piece we find 6/8, 5/8, 7/8, 8/8, 4/8, 2/4 3 / 4, and 4/4 all in just the first 13 bars! Add to that the various groupings (in just those first 13 bars) of 5 in the time of 4, 3 in the time of 4, 4 in the time of 3, and 3 in the time of 2, and you might think, quite correctly that the rhythmic impetus of this piece is at times very complex indeed. The harmony work here is modal however , and the two highly difficult voices often clash in the most extreme fashion. After this opening Lamentoso 13 bars, a Moderato takes over which remains in 5/8 for much of its duration, still written in two voices throughout, with many slightly unusual stretches that do task the technique a good deal. Then a further slow section, marked Fragile, takes over momentarily, before an even slower section marked Poco Rubato. Then at bar 75 , a Fluido section , at 146 beats a minute offers a complete contrast , racing around mostly in semi – quavers leading to a Capriccioso section , and a further Scherzando section, before the final portion marked Lamentoso where the most common interval is either the minor second, or the augmented octave, two intervals that are prevalent in this piece.
The difficulty factor is advanced, and the player must also be able to cope with the, at time, extreme harmonic properties of this very atmospheric piece, that in the course of just 6 pages of music, changes tempo 8 times .So very complex indeed, but if you like your music modern in every possible way, then this is one for you to have a try at.
Chris Dumigan
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