Dva Gledista - OB/ASX

ABOUT THE MUSIC:

Dva Gledišta is the result of a request and commission from a former theory student of mine, when he was at Central Connecticut State University as an undergraduate. Joe Proud contacted me and told me that he and his new wife, an oboist, wanted and needed a piece for the two of them to use on a Spring semester recital, as well as a couple of competitions/conferences. I was at the end of a Fall sabbatical leave, and was completing a clarinet quintet, and so I accepted. The title, in English, means Two Points of View and is written in Serbian, as Joe’s wife is Serbian. It pretty accurately transmits what my goals were with this piece. The two instruments have nearly identical written ranges, although with the transposition element, I had a reasonable range within which to work. The piece opens with a combined presentation of intervallic interplay mixed with just slightly offset rhythmic points. The middle of the work contains two sections, the first of which presents the oboe in a quasi-improvisatory manner, written over a “carpet” of quiet multiphonics in the form of a loop, and the parts are not meant to be in alignment. Then the saxophone steps forward in the same solo manner, supported this time by a repeated ten measure pattern in the oboe. The first of these two improvisatory-sounding areas is quite free, and somewhat indeterminate, while the second is more metrically structured. The duo concludes with vigorous and sturdily rhythmic music, infused with all manner of canonic games.

--Brian Kershner, March 2018 

ABOUT THE COMPOSER:

Brian Kershner, composer and bassoonist, has written over fifty works for a variety of performance media.  Many of the pieces are published, recorded, and have been played internationally.  His Three Pressings for Clarinet and String Quartet is being recorded for release on a new CD, in 2023, and another recent recording involves his work for Oboe and Alto Saxophone, Dva Gladišta (Two Points of View), currently available for purchase or on most streaming services.. Dr. Kershner has written extensively for bassoon, including his well-known Sonata for Bassoon, and his Bagatelles for Clarinet and Bassoon, both with Dr. Kershner performing on commercially available CD’s. His saxophone quartet Contours, Canons, and Caricatures, is recorded on Vienna Modern Masters, and won a special commendation by the panel of judges.  His song cycle, Leaves of Grass was a finalist in the 2008 Art Song Competition sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He is continuing his series of works for bassoon and one other instrument, the first with guitar and subsequent duos combining with Flute, Erhu and Bass Clarinet.  The first three were performed at IDRS conferences. Most recent works include a trio for oboe, bassoon and piano, a new character piece for bassoon and piano, a work for trombone and percussion, and a solo piece for piano.  

Brian Kershner is currently Professor Emeritus at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT.  He has previously served on the faculties of Rutgers University, Baylor University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro.