Review

Jan Kaňka
Sutenaide Kudasai:

Coventry, , United Kingdom
Publisher: Warwick Music Publishers
Date of Publication: 2009
URL: http://www.warwickmusic.com

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - with piano

Czech composer and trombonist Jan Kaňka received his formal training at the Plzeň Conservatory and Academy of Musical Arts in Prague and is currently a teacher at the Klatový Music School. Kaňka has written a three-section contemporary work to demonstrate the flexibility of the instrument. The first is dancelike with meter changes, contains many sweeping lines and a few extreme register shifts. The second section is almost ethereal and mournful, perhaps contemplative. Elements of the introductory melodic material are retained and complex rhythmic figures are introduced, i.e. borrowed rhythms and triplets in 6/8 meter. Effective use of falls and a turn can be found. The brief third section is somewhat frenetic. Regular meter changes, dramatic articulation changes and intricate interplay with the piano part provide substantial challenges. The ending is somewhat abrupt.  

The complex rhythmic figures, meter changes – mostly negotiated by the pianist, and delicate interaction between the parts comprise the essential difficulty of this work. Range spans GG to b-flat1, however the solo part is written with a keen sense of the instrument. Upon first glance, the score is overwhelming; however after one play through, the solo part is manageable and provides excellent opportunities for articulation, range, and melodic study in a contemporary context. The audience will be engaged. While the harmonies are not too far out, the rhythmic and melodic content provide subtle surprises.

-David Stern
Lewiston, Maine