Described as a “composer of masterful craft with a genuine clarity and purity of vision” (Guitar Review), Dušan Bogdanović has developed a personal synthesis of contemporary classical, jazz and world music. His work numbers over two hundred published compositions, including a variety of commissions for solo guitar, chamber ensembles, orchestra and multimedia, as well as numerous recordings. Early in his career, he received the only First Prize at the Geneva Competition (in 1975), First prize at the International Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade, and gave a highly acclaimed debut recital at Carnegie Hall in 1977.

After having taught at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, and at the San Francisco Conservatory, Dušan Bogdanović was engaged by the Haute école de musique de Genève from 2007 to 2020.

About the piece

Ngbaka poliptih [Ngbaka polyptych] is based on a polyrhythmic model „Kódà“, which is performed on a small Pygmy harp “ngombi” within the scope of ceremonies which celebrate the birth of twins in Ngbaka tribe from central Africa.  I took this model as a motivic base for the whole cycle. The piece lies at the intersection of contemporary classical music, jazz and world music; it was written for piano trio, and this version replaces violin with flute. The first movement is the closest to the traditional original, second movement is an improvisation, third is a cantilena, fourth is a ricercar in a palindromic form, fifth is a quasi-passacaglia, and the final movement is composed in a simple repetitive form. Generally speaking, as the piece progresses, its music moves father from the original, only to return to its initial spirit at the very end.