Negotin was coloured by the musical atmosphere this September thanks to the Days of Mokranjac, a festival, rightfully entitled, as one of the most important in Serbia. The tradition continued, and in this 57th season, from September 9 to 15, during the seven days of the Festival, the audience enjoyed in almost 30 programs. In the Cultural Centre “Stevan Mokranjac”, which is the organizer of this traditional manifestation, festival symbols are still present and impressions are summed up, among which the common one is that the basic mission – promoting the creativity of the most important Serbian composer Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac, has been preserved. This is best supported by the fact that as many as six choirs performed at Choir competition, the first night of the festival, which points to the conclusion that choral music is once again receiving great attention. Negotin was visited by ensembles from Croatia and Turkey, from Aleksinac, Smederevska Palanka and Belgrade, and to the delight of musical Negotin, the choir of the host city, which works at the “Stevan Mokranjac” Art School. The singing attracted extraordinary attention from the public and critics, and the choirs did not hide their satisfaction for participating in such, as they say, prestigious competition.
Polyphonic choir “Ankara” under the direction of Nilgun Tuzkaja Arkan, who performed Mokranjac’s composition in Turkish language “Ne Güzelsin” (How beautiful you are) at the Festival, is the winner of the 57th “Days of Mokranjac” Choir competition in Negotin. Jury composed of: prof. Sonja Marinković, PhD, musicologist, Katarina Tomašević, PhD, musicologist, and Božidar Crnjanski, conductor, for the first time awarded the prize for the most successfully performed composition at the Festival to the Choir of the “Stevan Mokranjac” Art School under the direction of Danilo Perković for the interpretation of “Three Madrigals, Only a Little Different” by Konstantin Babić. The mixed choir “Ina” from Zagreb under the direction of Bojan Pogrmilović won the award for the authentic interpretation of works inspired by folklore, while the choir “Ars Vocalis” from Belgrade, with conductor Miroslav Arbanovski, received the award for the most complex performed program and the most successful soloist Marko Kostić. The jury awarded diplomas for participation to the Aleksinac mixed choir “Šumatovac” under the direction of Dimitrije Golubović and the Church choir of St. Simeon at the Temple from Smederevska Palanka, directed by Miloš Urošević.
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The 57th “Days of Mokranjac” were dedicated to choral music. The all-night concert was organized by last year’s winners of Choir competition – the Novi Sad Chamber Choir under the direction of Božidar Crnjanski, offering an extremely interesting musical program that could and had to be enjoyed until the last minute. And two more choral evenings, in the Holy Trinity Church in Negotin, will be remembered.
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This year, for the first time, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, by Karel Napravnjik, was presented to the public in concert, a work written in the footsteps of Mokranjec’s tradition, composed in the twenties of the previous century. In this way, the Choir “Josif Marinković” from Vršac celebrated a valuable jubilee in Negotin. On the occasion of 85 years of existence, the teachers and students of the local music school performed together, led by Tatjana Gerdec Mrdja in this premiere performance, and the soloists were well known to the local audience: Ljubomir Popović, tenor and Darko Manić, bass.
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The festival audience on the final evening, to say the least, was overjoyed with the extraordinary performance of Mokranjac’s works intended for the days of Great Lent, which were performed by the RTS choir under the masterful leadership of Bojan Sudjić.
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What else should be selected from the offered concept of this year’s “Days of Mokranjac”?
The “Evening Serenade” podium this year belonged to the “Vita Brevis” Vocal Quartet from Zrenjanin, while the youngest enjoyed the opera “The Little Sweep” by Benjamin Britten. It is a play co-produced by the theater “Duško Radović” from Belgrade and the Musical Opera Theater Organization MOTO.
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The performance of the chamber orchestra “Metamorphosis” with the masterful violist Saša Mirković was dedicated to contemporary Serbian music. The program included works by Ivan Božičević, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Draško Adžić, who was also a vocal soloist interpreting three songs from the play “Romeo and Juliet”, Darija Andoska, Ivan Marković, as well as Žarko Mirković, whose “Pictures of Solitude” had its world premiere in Negotin. One of our most prominent and active string chamber ensembles also performed the piece “Pillars” by the young Novi Sad composer Ivan Marković, who originates from the town of Mokranjac. Marković himself participated in the performance of the piece, interpreting the gong part from the arrangement for viola and gong on the piano.
Flautist Ljubiša Jovanović and pianist Aleksandar Serdar performed on the chamber podium of the Days of Mokranjac, and this way the festival in Negotin contributed to marking the jubilee of 40 years of successful presence on our art scene, of the world-renowned flautist Ljubiša Jovanović. The evening was devoted to baroque music, and the performance of two exceptional artists elicited equal praise from the audience and musical critics.
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The surprise of the Festival was the performance of the Police Orchestra of the Ministry of Interior from Republic of Srpska. Skilfully led by the conductor Pokrajčić, the Police Orchestra of the Ministry of Interior of Republic of Srpska, delighted the festival audience in Negotin with soloists: Alan Husein (trumpet), Janko Rodić (vocals), Benjamin Drujenčić (trumpet), Srdjan Vesić (vocals) and Saša Radonjić (clarinet), but the standing ovation also went to the musician from Negotin, Aleksandar Jovanović, concertmaster of the Police Orchestra.
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“Threads of Tradition”
This September, the participants and guests of “The Days of Mokranjac”, as well as numerous residents of Negotin, who went to the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Trinity from 1872, had the opportunity to, first of all, pay tribute to the efforts of cultural and artistic societies to preserve the cultural identity and rich heritage of their region.
In addition to the hosts, CAS “Mokranjac” from Mokranje, CAS “Kraljevačka riznica” from Kraljevo also participated in the program.
One of the central elements of the “Treads of Tradition” event is the traditional food served in the Church courtyard, including the favourite polenta and cheese, boiled corn and flatbread, which the hosts say further enrich the visitors’ experience, but also preserve the gastronomic heritage of this region.
Open air concerts
In the traditional morning programs called “Classical music at 11″ in the center of Negotin this year, in addition to the participants of the Choir competition, many others were presented: The Banja Luka Chamber Ensemble, Choir “Wallachia” of the City Choir Ensemble “Mokranjac” from Negotin, with conductor Dragana Marinović-Simonović, Singing group “Stevan Mokranjac” from Zaječar with conductor Maja Milenković, Vesna Garabantin, cello and Marko Miljković, piano, as well as members of the Negotin “Artist” Association: Milja Videnović (piano) and Magdalena Antić (soprano), with guest Kristina Ćirović (violin).
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Faithful associate of the “Days of Mokranjac” Festival, Radio Belgrade 2, in the year in which it celebrates its jubilee, 65 years of work, presented itself to the festival audience in Negotin with its main program actions dedicated to young people, namely “Timok’s lira” and “The best young pianists”.
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Festival, 57th “Days of Mokranjac” opened its galleries to two exhibitions: Searches of Djordje Sokolovski, PhD within the painting exhibition “Towards a New Icon” and the works of applied artists from the 25th “Echo of the Music” Colony. Two scientific panels were also organized, one dedicated to the work of our Stevan Mokranjac, organized by Melita Milin, PhD while the other one on the life and work of one of the most important Serbian symphonists, Vasilije Mokranjac, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, was brilliantly presented by Ivana Medić, PhD. Two new books were also presented, about the conductor, composer and pianist Aleksandar Vujić, authored by Snežana Nikolajević and Branka Radović, as well as the collection of church music “Odjeci saGLASja” by Nataša Djuragić.
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During the two final days of the Festival, a seminar for conductors was held, led by Tamara Adamov Petijević and Verica Pejić, dedicated to working with children’s and youth ensembles.
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In its 57th season, “Days of Mokranjac” put Mokranjac’s music and choral work in the foreground, but there was no shortage of programs that celebrated music in its most beautiful form with works that were enjoyed by both the performers and the audience. Professor Sonja Marinković, PhD, selector, pointed out at the closing of the festival that celebrating the work of Stevan Mokranjac, Choir of Radio and Television of Serbia with maestro Bojan Sudjić, undoubtedly stood out with interpretation of Mokranjac’s most complex score, a composition for the days of Great Lent.
“You have built a temple in each of us, a temple that we will carry in our souls, which will be a place of good, faith, not only in our Mokranjac, the greatest among us, to whom we have dedicated all these days and to whom we will dedicate the best what we can. Because there wasn’t anyone bigger than Mokranjac among us, and probably there won’t be either. Long live everyone” – said Sonja Marinković, PhD.
This year’s 57th Festival “Days of Mokranjac” was officially declared closed by Vladimir Veličković, the president of the municipality of Negotin.
“During the past seven festival days, Negotin and Serbia showed their respect for the image and work of the famous man from Negotin, a famous Serbian, and famous composer of unforgettable Serbian music. The artistic music festival, our tribute to Mokranjac, was carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Serbia and friends of the festivities, which I hope we’ll have even more in the future, bearing in mind the importance of the Festival.”
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The festival of music in honour of the greatest Serbian composer, was also this year helped by general sponsors: the Municipality of Negotin and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Serbia, and friends of the Festival: Elixir Foundation, Dunav insurance, Telekom Srbija, UniCredit Bank, the College of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship and SOKOJ – Organization of music authors of Serbia. The media friend, along with several other traditional partners, was Radio Belgrade. Other sponsors and friends also helped to hold the “Days of Mokranjac”.