Important Music Events in Serbia since April 2008
Recent Activities of the Serbian Music Information Centre
The Serbian Music Information Centre created its own web site www.m-i-c.rs. English pages are in preparation. Our digital database, Serbian Composers and Their Works is now ready for publication and is about to be put online providing site visitors the opportunity to search through extensive information about Serbian music.
On 14 June 2008, the Serbian MIC held a concert, The Sound of Josip Slavenski’s Piano, in honor of the restoration of the piano and other belongings of this important early 20th century composer. In 2005, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Josip Slavenski (1896-1955), the centre, in cooperation with allied institutions, had previously embarked on a variety of initiatives including an important three-day conference, Josip Slavenski and His Time, and the publication of two Slavenski monographs—the first a collection of papers from that conference and the other a biography by Slavenski's widow Milana which had been awaiting publication for decades.
Currently the centre is preparing two important projects: a film music workshop, which will take place from 11-13 November 2008, and a CD recording of live performances of works by composer Vlastimir Peri?i? (1927-2000), who was also a leading musicologist and theoretician.
Awards and Publications
Serbian composer Ivana Stefanovic (b. 1948) won The Stevan Mokranjac Award for her 2007 piece Unusual Scenes from Homer’s grave in Smyrn ? New Contributions for Hans Christian Andersen (for solo flute, chamber ensemble and reciter), for 2007. The prize is awarded by the Association of Serbian Composers for the best first performance of work written by Serbian composer. Serbian violinist Jovan Kolundzija has been awarded the April Prize of the City of Belgrade for 2007 in honor of his 40-year career in music. In May 2008, the Association of Serbian Composers issued a five-volume Anthology of Serbian Solo Songs.
Festivals
The 14th Festival of Sacred Music, Choirs Among Frescoes, took place in Belgrade from 19 June to 10 July 2008, and the 7th International Festival of Chamber Choirs took place in Kragujevac from 17 to 23 August. The Kragujevac festival, which included a conducting workshop lead by Prof. Darinka Matic-Marovic, attracted participants from Bulgaria, Hungary, Finland, Macedonia, Russia, and Serbia. The 42nd annual festival, The Days of Mokranjac, was held in Negotin from 12 to 16 September. Every September since 1966, the best choirs, performers and composers—everything considered to be the part of the music scene of Serbia and the world—gather in Negotin to take part in Serbia's oldest music festival which is dedicated to the great Serbian composer and conductor Stevan Stojanovi? Mokranjac (1856-1914). This year, choirs from Switzerland and Germany were also invited to perform and choirs from Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia participated in the singing competition; the winner was choir Rondo Histriae from Croatia (conductor: Vinka Buric).
The 40th Belgrade Music Festival (BEMUS) is taking place from 3 to 17 October 2008. BEMUS is Serbia's most significant festival of classical music. This year BEMUS has hosted some of the world’s most prominent artists/ensembles, including the Blechschaden Brass Ensemble (the stars of the Munich Philharmonic), Ebène String Quartet, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Boris Eifman Ballet, Jacques Loussier Trio, conductors Mark Gorenstein and Ivan Fischer, violinist David Garrett, and violoncellist Maja Bogdanovi?, as well as dancers József Nagy, Peter Gemza, Ivan Fatjo Chaves, and Cécile Loyer. One of the highlights of BEMUS was Maratonci (The Marathon Runners), a new opera by Isidora Zebeljan, which was performed at the festival on 14 and 16 October. The opera, which received its world premiere in Bregenz (Austria) on 20 August, was a co-commission of the Genesis Foundation from London in co-production with the Bregenz Festival, the concert agency Jugokoncert (Belgrade) and New Vienna Opera House. Zebeljan co-wrote the libretto, which is based on Dusan Kovacevic’s movie script, with Milica Zebeljan and Borislav Cicovacki. The cast included Jowita Sipp (soprano), Karin Goltz (alto), Marcel Beekman (tenor), Walter Raffeiner (tenor), Marco di Sapia (baritone), Andreas Jankowitch (baritone), and Robert Pertl (baritone). The production was directed by Nicola Raab and conducted by Premil Petrovic.