Ivan Brkanović: Concertino for Strings

Composed in 1955, Concertino for Strings is the composer’s revision and expansion of his youthful String Quartet No. 1, written during his student years. By transforming the intimate character of the string quartet into the more expansive sonority of a string orchestra, Ivan Brkanović enriched this early work with a more sumptuous, multilayered musical texture and a broader spectrum of dynamic expression, while preserving the integrity of its original formal design.
The work comprises two contrasting movements, Adagio and Moderato, in which the defining features of Brkanović’s musical language are already clearly discernible. These include the synthesis of elements drawn from the folk music of the Bay of Kotor, manifested in broad, cantabile melodic lines, with modern harmonic aspirations, as well as the skilful and densely woven contrapuntal interplay of the individual parts, reflecting the composer’s enduring pursuit of a unified and homogeneous orchestral sound.

HDS, Cantus, 2026.
Edition No: Can. 407-3817
ISMN 979-0-801363-81-7