Krešimir Bedek, guitar
Ivana Kiš: Supertramp's journal for guitar and video
Big John Campbell's last song
Photo credit: Liat Chen
Video animation: Roy Shapira
Both compositions belong to the field of program music. Composer Ivana Kiš dedicated them to Krešimir Bedek. Big John Campbell's last song is her first work for guitar, and the composition is unique in the guitar repertoire since it starts with a theatrical verbal introduction. Furthermore, it is also the first work of Croatian guitar composers for solo guitar in which a prepared instrument is being used. Big John Campbell's last song is nostalgically dedicated to the time of famous rock guitarists, and the program character is evident in the visual moments of the performance which at the end of the composition irresistibly remind of the spectacle that could often be witnessed on stages during rock concerts.
While the story about Big John Campbell is a fictional composition, Supertramp's journal is based on a true event - inspired by a diary written by Christopher McCandless, also known as Alexander Supertramp, who was writing during his tragic Alaska adventure without writing many words to describe emotions and experiences. Our renowned composer, who grew up in Samobor and currently lives and works in Israel, chose two Israeli artists for the visual component of the work - Liat Chen and Roya Shapiru. Inspired by selected quotes from Supertramp's diary and Bedek's interpretation of Ivana Kiš' music, academic artist Liat Chen made paintings for each of the ten movements, and Roy Shapira used her paintings to make a video animation as part of the composition. This big suite for guitar and video is about 40 minutes long and it is a significant work not only for Croatian music, but also worldwide because even the greatest compositions for guitar solo do not exceed thirty minutes, and compositions for guitar and video are rare.
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