The interpretation of pianist Tatjana Kaucic and clarinetist Dusan Sodja is distinguished by “dazzling lack of craftsmanship and genuine passion for music, tonal enchantment, and their recitals are musically exciting and delicately intimate”, according to BBC Music Magazine. Their specialty is loyalty to contemporary Slovenian musical creativity, as they have encouraged the creation of over forty new Slovenian compositions for their composition. Their concert programmes at home and abroad put Slovenian creativity alongside world masterpieces without exception – which is why Slovenian composers called them “ambassadors of Slovenian music”.
The duo Claripiano was founded by Tatjana and Dusan in 1994. The musical and life couple's concert journey led from Stockholm, Edinburgh, Leipzig, Bamberg, Salzburg, Prague, Ljubljana to Belgrade, Madrid, Florida, Los Angeles, Armenia and China. They played at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Ljubljana Summer Festival, the “Carinthischer Sommer” festival, the Yerevan Music Festival, the Mendelssohn house in Leipzig, the Clarinetfest in Los Angeles, Madrid, Ostend and Florida. In 2019, they had a high-profile tour of China, playing in the capitals of five provinces, including Beijing and Shenzhen. In 2016, they realized their long-standing dream and created the project “Slovenian folk music in concert disguise for the duo Claripiano”. Composers A. Makor, J. Golob, T. Habe, A. Misson, P. Shavli, K. Pustinek, H. Vidic, T. Vulc created concert compositions based on Slovenian folk tunes on their initiative. "In the embrace of duality” is the title of a CD that followed many concerts in Slovenia and abroad (Ostend, Florida, Mainz, Bamberg, China). With the participation of the first programme of Radio Slovenija, ZKP RTV Slovenija and the Society of Slovenian composers, where the sheet music collection was published, the quality of the project and the recordings was excellently evaluated in important music magazines (Glasna, the Clarinet Magazine, Rohrblatt-Berlin). This project was also nominated for the Preseren Fund award by Radio Slovenia. The duo Claripiano has given concerts at all the most important Slovenian music venues: from the music youth of Ljubljana, the music youth of Slovenia, the Slovenian Philharmonic, the Cankarjev Dom in Ljubljana, the Ljubljana Festival, The Concert studio of the Society of Slovenian composers, the Narodni Dom in Maribor, the Narodni Dom in Celje, the Nova Gorica Cultural Center, the Hugo Animatolf association from Slovenj Gradec, the Kogoj days in Kanal, the Friends of Music Association in Koper and others. Their discography includes five joint solo CDs. Each of them represents a rounded project, be it an iron repertoire of 20. centuries, the most beautiful sonatas of Romantic composers or new works of Slovenian composers: Legends, encounters, Romantic Claripiano, 20 Claripiano and in the embrace of duality. Let us highlight the names of the composers who dedicated their compositions to them: Primoz Ramovs, Lojze Lebic, Janez Maticic, Ivo Petri/, Ljubo Ranchigaj, Nenad Firsht, zrz Sojar-Voglar, Tomaz Habe, Tadeja Vulc, Nina Shenk, Katarina Pustinek, Helena Vidic, Andrej Misson, Jani Golob, Peter Shavli, Aldo Kumar, Andrej Makor. In recent years, composers have been writing new concerts for clarinet, piano and various compositions for them: in 2018 “Claripiano” by Jani Golob (with the SNG Opera Maribor Orchestra), in 2019 “Ta-Du” by Tomaz habet (with the Slovenian police orchestra), “samo Lupin smo” by Andrej Makor (with the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir), in 2020 “Silver concert” by Sojar Voglar (with the SF chamber string orchestra) and in 2021 the Clarinet Concerto, piano and string orchestra nenada firsta (the christening performance will take place in March 2022 with the Celje string orchestra). This is how they collaborated with conductors: Johannes Moduldner, Nenad Firsht, Helena Fojkar mayoral, Simon Krecic, Simon Percic and Nejc Vienna.
Tatjana Kaucic and Dusan Sodja studied at the Academy of music in Ljubljana (with Tatjana Ognjanovic and Alojz Zupan), and completed their master's studies at the famous Mozarteum University in Salzburg (with Brigitte Engelhard and Alois Brandhofer). Their musical tastes were undoubtedly most influenced by the bassoonist Bozidar Tumpej, their first mentor for chamber music, composer Ivo Petri / / and pianist Anthon / / Spiri, with whom they trained in chamber music at the Higher School of music in K///. Both artists are employed by the Slovenian Philharmonic. Dusan teaches clarinet at the Conservatory of music in Ljubljana and plays instruments by the German manufacturer Sch 6itenk&Seggelke from Bamberg.
Their devotion to the musical muse was perhaps best described by a critic in the Clarinet magazine: “The Play of Dusan Sodja and Tatjana Kaucic is magical. The great variety of tonal colours on the part of both instruments, together with the finely nuanced phrasing, are the result of a remarkable collaboration. “
PROGRAM.
Andrej Makor: Histria et amor (2016)*
Charles V. Stanford: Sonata op. 129
- Allegro moderato
- Caoine (Adagio quasi Fantasia)
- Allegretto grazioso
* * * * * * * *
Robert Schumann, prir. H. Ferguson: Three Duos
- Con molto espressione
- Allegretto
- Con sincerita
Črt Sojar Voglar: Obnovljivi vir / A Renewable Resource (2023)*
Bojan Glavina: Reminiscence (2006)
* posvečeno Duu Claripiano
Interpretacijo pianistke TATJANE KAUČIČ in klarinetista DUŠANA SODJE odlikujejo “bleščeča nenarejenost in pristna strast do glasbe, tonska očarljivost, njuni recitali pa so muzikalno vznemirljivi in občutljivo intimni” so zapisali v BBC Music Magazinu. Njuna posebnost je zvestoba sodobni slovenski glasbeni ustvarjalnosti, saj sta vzpodbudila nastanek preko štirideset novih slovenskih skladb za njun sestav. Njuni koncertni sporedi doma in na tujem brez izjem postavljajo slovensko ustvarjalnost ob bok svetovnim mojstrovinam - zato so ju slovenski skladatelji poimenovali “ambasadorja slovenske glasbe”. Ob letošnji trideseti obletnici njunega umetniškega ustvarjanja so jima člani Društva slovenskih skladateljev podelili “Lipovškovo nagrado”.
Duo Claripiano sta Tatjana in Dušan ustanovila leta 1994. Glasbeni in življenjski par je koncertna pot vodila od Stockholma, Edinburgha, Leipziga, Bamberga, Salzburga, Prage, Ljubljane do Beograda, Madrida, Floride, Los Angelesa, Armenije in Kitajske. Igrala sta na Festivalu Fringe v Edinburghu, ljubljanskem Poletnem Festivalu, festivalu “Carinthischer Sommer”, Glasbenem festivalu v Erevanu, Mendelssohnovi hiši v Leipzigu, Clarinetfestu v Los Angelesu, Madridu, Ostende in na Floridi. Leta 2019 sta imela odmevno turnejo po Kitajski, kjer sta igrala v glavnih mestih petih provinc, med drugim tudi v Pekingu in Shenzhenu.
Leto 2016 sta uresničila svoj dolgoletni sen in ustvarila projekt “Slovenska ljudska glasba v koncertni preobleki za Duo Claripiano”. Skladatelji A. Makor, J. Golob, T. Habe, A. Misson, P. Šavli, K. Pustinek, H. Vidic, T. Vulc so na njuno pobudo ustvarili koncertne skladbe po slovenskih ljudskih napevih. “V objemu dvojine” je naslov zgoščenke, ki je sledila številnim koncertom po Sloveniji in tujini (Ostende, Florida, Mainz, Bamberg, Kitajska). Za ta projekt sta bila s strani Radia Slovenija nominirana za nagrado Prešernovega sklada.
Duo Claripiano je koncertiral na vseh najpomembnejših slovenskih glasbenih prizoriščih: od Glasbene mladine ljubljanske, Glasbene mladine Slovenije, Slovenske filharmonije, Cankarjevega doma v Ljubljani, Festivala Ljubljana, Koncertnega ateljeja Društva slovenskih skladateljev, Narodnega doma v Mariboru, Narodnega doma v Celju, Kulturnega doma Nova Gorica, društva Huga Wolfa iz Slovenj Gradca, Kogojevih dnevov v Kanalu, Društva prijateljev glasbe v Kopru in drugih.
Njuna diskografija obsega šest skupnih samostojnih zgoščenk. Vsaka od njih predstavlja zaokrožen projekt, naj bo to železni repertoar 20. stoletja, najlepše sonate romantičnih skladateljev ali nova dela slovenskih skladateljev: Legende, Srečanja, Romantic Claripiano, 20 Claripiano, V objemu dvojine in 30 ClariPiano. Naj izpostavimo imena skladateljev, ki so jima posvetili skladbe: Primož Ramovš, Lojze Lebič, Janez Matičič, Ivo Petrić, Ljubo Rančigaj, Nenad Firšt, Tomaž Habe, Jani Golob, Tadeja Vulc, Nina Šenk, Katarina Pustinek, Helena Vidic, Andrej Misson, Črt Sojar-Voglar, Peter Šavli, Aldo Kumar, Andrej Makor. Njuna zadnja jubilejna plošča “30 ClariPiano” prinaša skladbe skladateljev Andreja Makorja, Nenada Firšta in Črta Sojarja Voglarja.
Duo Claripiano je tudi pobudnik za nastanek novih skladb slovenskih skladateljev za klarinet, klavir in različne orkestrske in zborovske zasedbe: “Claripiano” Janija Goloba (z orkestrom SNG Opera Maribor), “Ta-Du” Tomaža Habeta (z orkestrom Slovenske policije), “Samo lupina smo” in “Klagelieder” za solista in mešani zbor Andreja Makorja (z zborom Slovenske filharmonije), “Srebrni koncert” Črta Sojarja Voglarja (s Komornim godalnim orkestrom SF) in Koncert za klarinet, klavir in godalni orkester Nenada Firšta (s Celjskim godalnim orkestrom).
Tatjana Kaučič in Dušan Sodja sta študirala na Akademiji za glasbo v Ljubljani (pri Tatjani Ognjanovič in Alojzu Zupanu), magistrski študij pa sta končala na sloviti Univerzi Mozarteum v Salzburgu (pri Brigitte Engelhard in Aloisu Brandhoferju). Na njun glasbeni okus so nedvomno najbolj vplivali fagotist Božidar Tumpej, njun prvi mentor za komorno glasbo, skladatelj Ivo Petrić in pianist Anthony Spiri, pri katerem sta se izpopolnjevala iz komorne glasbe na Visoki šoli za glasbo v Kölnu. Dušan je zaposlen v Orkestru Slovenske filharmonije, poučuje klarinet na Konservatoriju za glasbo v Ljubljani in je strokovni sodelavec na Akademiji za glasbo. Tatjana je bila dvajset let pianistka-korepetitorka v Zboru Slovenske filharmonije, od leta 2022 pa poučuje klavir na Glasbeni šoli Moste-Polje v Ljubljani. Dušan igra na inštrumente nemškega izdelovalca Seggelke iz Bamberga.
Njuno predanost glasbeni muzi je morda najbolje opisal kritik v reviji The Clarinet: “Igra Dušana Sodje in Tatjane Kaučič je čarobna. Velika raznovrstnost tonskih barv s strani obeh instrumentov, skupaj s pretanjeno niansiranim fraziranjem, sta posledica izjemnega sodelovanja. “
