The Music Center of Montenegro has been actively promoting Montenegrin creativity in recent years, providing the opportunity for local authors to present their compositions on the big stage. Thanks to this approach, Montenegrin original music is increasingly taking a significant place in the repertoire, connecting the audience with contemporary creative achievements. In this spirit, the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra will perform the works of prominent composers tonight Dejan Božović, Darko Nikčević i Srđan Bulatović, under the baton of the conductor Robert Homen i Klaudia Janija.
Tonight, for the first time, in the performance of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, he will have the opportunity to hear Božović's compositions "The Surrender of Skadra" and "Balkan Wars" from the documentary film, as well as "Cabaret" and "The Mirror" from the music he made for the ballet show "Giving Up". .
"Choosing only four compositions for the author's evening was an extremely demanding process. When you have years of work behind you and a large number of instrumental compositions, each of them becomes like a page in a biography - it carries its own special meaning, belongs to a certain period of my life and creative path. Each composition tells its own story, and choosing only four means presenting a small but important part of what defines me as an artist", explains Božović in an interview with Vijesti and adds that when choosing, he tried to include the different phases he went through, because each of of them carries recognizable musical characteristics, styles and emotions.
"During my career, I explored different directions and expressions, from intimate compositions with a small number of instruments to more complex orchestral arrangements. That's why it was important to me that the selection reflects the breadth of my creativity, that the audience feels how my style has developed, how influences, inspirations and goals have changed over the years," explains Božović, who does not hide that the emotional significance of the selected works was another important criterion. .
"Each composition carries a special emotional charge, it is linked to specific moments or turning points. It was difficult to leave aside some works that are extremely dear to me, but I decided on those that, I believe, will best convey to the audience what I consider to be the essence of my artistic expression. In the end, every choice is a compromise, and in the process I had to make some tough decisions. Nevertheless, I believe that these four compositions will manage to convey the essence of my creativity and bring the key moments of my musical journey closer to the audience. I hope that every listener will connect with me through those notes and through them experience at least a part of what I wanted to express through music", Božović does not hide his expectations.
Adapting compositions from applied art for a symphony orchestra was a very demanding, but also an inspiring process for him because, as he says, they were originally created for specific projects.
"They were part of film, theater or television productions, where they had a clear role in supporting the story, atmosphere or emotion that the scene required. Because of this, they were often reduced and simple, focused on what was crucial at the given moment, and often only certain instruments or smaller instrumental groups were used. When you make an arrangement for a symphony orchestra, a whole new world of musical possibilities opens up. An orchestra enables the use of a full spectrum of sound colors, dynamic ranges and tonal richness that smaller ensembles or individual instruments simply cannot convey. Each part of the orchestra - strings, brass, brass instruments and percussion - brings its own unique energy and expressiveness, and that is why the adjustment process required a detailed consideration of how each of these elements will contribute to the final sound image", explains Božović, who believes that the compositions, precisely thanks to the orchestra, only now get complete fullness in sound.
"The audience will have the opportunity to hear these compositions in a 'three-dimensional' soundscape, where every note, every nuance and every detail gets its full expression. The harmonies are now given the opportunity to develop and spread throughout the entire orchestra, creating a powerful, all-encompassing sound that the audience can literally feel. Through the orchestra, these compositions can now tell a story in a more complex, richer way, to allow the audience a deeper emotional experience. The fullness and power of the sound brought by the symphony orchestra not only emphasizes the beauty of the original themes, but also gives them strength, allowing the audience to experience the music in an intense, almost tangible way", he is sure.
The works are very different in terms of style and character, but this was precisely the challenge of shaping them into a whole in terms of arrangement.
"Each of them carries a specific atmosphere, unique expressive elements and an emotional charge that is connected to the period when they were created and the context for which they were originally intended. However, in order for the concert to have shaped dramaturgical lines and provide a complete experience, I had to carefully design the arrangements and create harmony between these different works. The arrangements had to be adjusted to some extent to achieve this completeness. It was not enough just to put the compositions together as a series of different sound pictures; it was necessary to pay attention to the transitions, to the rhythmic and harmonic connections between the works, so that the audience could pass through them naturally, without feeling sudden changes. In that process, I had to think about how certain melodic lines, dynamics or orchestration can connect the compositions and give them a common note", said Božobić, who believes that the presence of different styles actually gives the concert a certain liveliness and freshness.
"I think it's important that the audience has the opportunity to feel that diversity, because each style carries its own energy and evokes different emotions. Some parts may be more introspective, while others are rhythmically emphasized, energetic and almost dramatic - and it is this change and play of tones that can help to keep the audience's attention. The rhythm of the concert is shaped so that the listeners experience the entire spectrum of my creativity through different emotions and intensities. I believe that the variety of compositions will be the key to a rich audience experience. It allows them to enter the different worlds and perspectives that music can convey through diverse musical landscapes, from gentle and meditative to powerful and exciting. In the end, the goal is for every listener to leave with the feeling that they have recognized and experienced a rich and complete musical journey", hopes Božović. He says that the support of the Music Center and the increasingly frequent presence of Montenegrin authors in the repertoire of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra (CSO) are of inestimable importance for Montenegrin musical creativity.
"In a country with a relatively small music scene and limited resources for the production and promotion of original music, this kind of institutional support enables composers to get the space necessary for development and affirmation. The audience gets to know the local musical language and recognizes that Montenegro has talented authors who have something to offer and who deserve attention. One of the key values of this support is the creation of cultural identity through music. When the audience regularly has the opportunity to listen to the works of Montenegrin authors, a deeper connection with the cultural heritage is created and the sense of belonging is strengthened. In this way, Montenegrin music ceases to be only 'local', and becomes part of a wider cultural heritage. On the other hand, composers, including myself, are given the opportunity to work with top musicians and to hear their works performed by a professional symphony orchestra, which is an invaluable experience for further development and improvement. As for my personal creativity, the support of the Music Center led by the business director Isidoro Damjanović and the CSO really represented a great wind at my back and an incentive to dedicate myself more to applied and classical music", said Božović, who is known to the general public as a composer of commercial music where restrictions are often present, whether it is the demands of the market or strict frameworks of genres.
"They sometimes don't allow the artist to explore and express himself in a free way. Applied and classical music, on the other hand, provide much wider opportunities for experimentation with form, harmony, orchestration and style. When you know that you have the support of an institution like the Music Center, it allows you to embark on projects that are perhaps more artistically demanding, but also deeper in their expression. All the projects I realized with their support allowed me to develop my authorial expression without compromise and to create works that are more in line with my artistic vision. That kind of freedom is not often present in the commercial world, where music is often created based on popularity and market trends. This kind of support gave me the opportunity to create works that have more lasting value, that communicate with the audience on a deeper level and that are aimed at artistic expression, and not just at short-term commercial success," said Božović, adding that the support has far-reaching consequences for Montenegrin the music scene as a whole.
"When artists get the opportunity to create and present works of high artistic value, the entire cultural space is enriched. Younger authors also have role models and inspiration, which contributes to the formation of a new wave of creative creators in Montenegro. Because of all this, I believe that continuous support for Montenegrin composers is not only important, but also crucial for the development of Montenegrin culture and its recognition at the international level", Božović is sure.
The second part of the concert is reserved for the creativity of the Montenegrin guitar duo Bulatović-Nikčević and their Concert for two guitars and symphony orchestra, which will be premiered tonight. This "Fantasia concertante - The Secret" has three movements and lasts 25 minutes, and the orchestration was written by Claudio Jani who will direct the orchestra while they play
"These are our new works that we wrote in the past two years. The initial idea was to make one larger joint work out of them. The pieces differed from each other, but as such they fit perfectly into a larger form, from which the work Fantasia concertante 'The Secret' for two guitars and symphony orchestra soon emerged. We hired a professional orchestrator from Madrid, Claudio Janio, who primarily liked our music and who made a wonderful orchestration to our music. He is one of the most important orchestrators of today, who has done orchestration and conducting on hundreds of film projects, dozens of which are from Hollywood productions", boasted Bulatović.
The original music signed by these two musicians is inspired by flamenco, but also by Montenegrin traditional music, and Bulatović reveals how different this concert is from everything they have done so far:
"It's a secret how our new works came about in the first place. It is a process that even now we cannot discover how it happens and results in the creation of our new music. The work arises completely unexpectedly. That undiscovered secret of the creation of new music encouraged us to call the fantasy "The Secret". The music is original, free-form, has no traditional overtones, but has a romantic character, unusual harmonies and guitar tunes. The guitars have a dialogue with the orchestra, where they listen to each other, accompany and intertwine, and a great contribution to this is the brilliantly done orchestration", emphasizes Bulatović once again, who is sure that working on this piece will encourage them to devote themselves more to classical music written for larger orchestras.
"We still have a lot of new works that we plan to realize in the coming period. There will certainly be a lot of new things, completely different than before. What is certain is that the cooperation with the orchestrator and Klaudio Jani will continue", promises Bulatović.
Tickets for this concert, which is scheduled to start at 20 p.m., can be found at the MCCG ticket office at a price of 10 euros, while a discount applies to students and pensioners, and they will cost XNUMX euros.
Bonus video:
