Dodecaphonic Concerto for Two Pianos

Boris Papandopulo (1906 – 1991) is one of the most distinctive Croatian musicians of the 20th century. Papandopulo also worked as music writer, journalist, reviewer, pianist and piano accompanist; however, he achieved the peaks of his career in music as a composer. His composing oeuvre is imposing – Papandopulo composed almost 500 opuses: with great success he created instrumental (orchestral, concertante, chamber and solo), vocal and instrumental (for solo voice and choir), music-stage and film music. In all these kinds and genres he left a string of anthology-piece compositions of great artistic value. Dodecaphonic Concerto for two pianos was composed by Boris Papandopulo in 1960. The composition was premiered by pianists Jurica Murai and Darko Lukić on May 13, 1963 in a concert during the Zagreb Music Biennale. The Dodecaphonic Concerto for two pianos, despite being generally constructed through strict enforcement of the twelve-tone composing method principles, is in no sense a mere cerebral construction. Quite the contrary, it expresses not only the composer’s sophisticated sense of dramaturgy and gradation of musical plot intensity, but also his humorous nature, vivid rhythm, elation and temperament (especially in the final movement). Despite the high level of determination in the musical substance due to strict adherence to the described composing procedures, the composition contains a noticeable musical touch, so typical for all Papandopulo’s compositions and, somewhat paradoxically, the master’s recognizable, particular and characteristic style. (Davor Merkaš)