About the Work

Talons is a dramatic, single-movement work for bass clarinet duet by the Bosnian composer David Mastikosa (1992-). The work is dedicated to Ken Kunita and William Hayter. The work, with its use of the full range of the instrument in both parts, multiphonics, and passages of rhythmic and technical challenge, would be ideal for professional players or advanced students.

Extended-range instruments required. Duo Score: 13 pages, spiral bind.

About the Composer

David Mastikosa is a young profilic Bosnian composer. He was born in 1992 in Prijedor, where he started his musical education by studying clarinet and music theory at the Secondary Music School "Savo Balaban" in Prijedor, before moving to Banja Luka to study Composition at the Academy of Arts in the class of Tatjana Milošević Mijanović. At the Banja Luka Academy of Arts he won the 'best student' prize as well as the third prize in the competition for his composition titled "Edict of Milan of 313".

David was elected twice, among the fifteen composers whose works have been performed in concerts that are organized by Vox Novus, held in New York titled "15 Minutes of Fame". His compositions were performed in different countries around the world (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Japan, South Africa and the United States), as part of different cultural and musical events (such as: "Dani Vlade S. Miloševića", "Noć muzeja", "XIX Curso Internacional de Clarinete - Julian Menendez", "The Basement Concert", "Make Music New York", "Festival Note tra i Calanchi", International Art Colony "Pliva 2015", "Festival Ruid al Sud" "2015 Kompos Symposium", "Balkan Madness BH edition" and "Dani Avde Smailovića". His composition "Unknown flow" and his music was premiered in 2014 at Branko's Award Ceremony at Sremski Karlovci and by different musicians and ensembles (Sauro Berti - bass clarinet (Italy), Quator Girard - string quartet (France), Matthew Rosenberg - bassoon (USA), Novosadski duvaćki kvintet - wind quintet (Novi Sad), Ken Kunita - bass clarinet (Netherlands / Japan), Robert Botti - oboe (USA), Aleksandra Kopić - flute (Serbia / Bosnia and Herzegovina), Zagreb Soloists - string orchestra (Croatia), Ana Batinica - flute (Croatia), Zagreb Flute Ensemble (Croatia), Bartolomej Stanković - piano (Bosnia and Herzegovina) etc.

He participated in seminars and masterclasses: KompArt 2, Novi Sad 2012; Academie Musicale de Villecroze in 2013, France, Villecroze 2013; Sarajevo Sonic Studio 2013; Workshop for Contemporary Music, Novi Sad 2014; Ruid al Sud, International Festival of Arts, Novi Sad 2015; Workshop for solfeggio, Banja Luka in 2012 and Workshop for clarinet, Gućevo 2010 and he worked with Philippe Hersant, Philippe Manoury, Tamara Basarić, Vinko Globokar, Wolfgang Heiniger, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Alessio Sabella - Composition; Nikola Srdić, Milan Milošević, Đuro Pete - Clarinet; Slavica Smiljanić Marković - Solfeggio.

David was part of Academie Musicale de Villecroze (France) in 2012 and he was a scholar of Fond Dr Milan Jelić, the most important scholarship in the Republic of Srpska. In 2016 he got a special recognition of City of Banja Luka for his contribution to the huge development of art and culture in the city. He is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Composition at the Academy of Arts Banja Luka where he composes classical, electroacoustic and electronic music as well as music for theatre and film.

Since September 2015, David has been working at the Academy of Arts Banja Luka in the position of Teaching Assistant at the Theory Department. His compositions were also published in publishing houses Alea Publishing & Recording (Tacoma, Washington, United States) and Ayotte Custom Musical Engravings (Detroit, Michigan, United States).