”The guitar has a gentle sound, like the touch of hands. The guitar has a soft sound, as if a friend is whispering," said the famous Spanish guitar virtuoso Francisco Tarega.
If he is right, the people of Nikšić have been witnessing this for 17 years, the duration of the International Guitar Festival, which, thanks to the organizers and participants, has long since ceased to be both Nikšić and Montenegrin. The world's, and ours - would be the determinant of the festival, which was held for the 7th time from October 9 to 17 in the town under Trebjes.
"Nevertheless, we have been organizing the festival for 17 years and we discussed how to get out of these frameworks, which may have become narrow. When we see which artists were at our festival, we somehow close the circle of artists who are extraordinary and come from all over the world. Practically, we don't have much space there, except to repeat the artists", said the artistic director of the festival Danijel Cerovic.
He and Goran Perišić, director of the festival, are responsible for the fact that Nikšić has been a stage for world-famous artists for years. Even in the midst of corona, when it was impossible to organize a festival, they realized the online edition of Guitar Fest.
"We are glad that we managed to manage even in those difficult times, that we did not shut down the festival, but survived and passed all the tests as organizers. Beer is not sold at this festival, it is not commercial, tickets are not expensive, there are no big sponsors, but we think that festivals like this must exist and affirm high art, so to speak", are the words of the artistic director of Gitar Fest, a festival that slowly, but it certainly brands Montenegro on the map of world classical music festivals.
This year they performed Goran Krivokapic, one of the world's most recognizable Montenegrin guitarists, young and talented Montenegrin guitarists, prize-winners at international and domestic competitions, while as part of the Festival plus program segment, one of the most successful Bosnian artists, a representative of sevdah whose interpretation was characterized by critics, took the audience through the "world" of sevdah as revolutionary for this genre and winner of the award for the best artist of Europe in 2021, Damir Imamovic.
"The festival is very well established in the world and has become one of the most important festivals in Europe", said Goran Krivokapić, one of the leading guitarists and chamber musicians of the new international scene.
He won his first international award at the age of 14, and then continued to win awards and perform all over the world - both independently and in a duet with Danijel Cerović or with orchestras.
"It's a special feeling to play at home, and I think it's a bigger responsibility to play in a duet, than playing alone. As for performing with ensembles, the preparation is rather more complex, the whole process is more complex, and on the other hand, it is also more fun, easier, more motivated", Krivokapić pointed out.
In recent years, the final night of the festival has been reserved for young talented Montenegrin guitarists. It was the same this year, when they performed on the "Zahumlja" stage Filip Miladinović, Nađa Grdinić, Danilo Izgarevic, Andrija Backović i Anja Janicic.
"Their participation means a lot to them and to us. To them because they get a chance to play on, as you say, an important stage, to us because we like to educate the audience and young artists. We have to act in two directions, to develop our domestic artistic strengths, to create an opportunity for them and to introduce our audience to see what young Montenegrin guitarists can do," said Cerović.
This year's festival was supposed to be opened by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, but the concert was canceled due to objective reasons, so it will be held later.
The Guitar Fest, which was organized on the stage of the Nikšić Theater and "Zahumlje", was organized by the non-governmental organization "Anagastum Guitar Society" under the auspices of the Municipality of Nikšić and the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro, with the support of the Nikšić Theater and the Cetinje Music Academy.
Imamović: Sevda women choose me a little, I choose them a little
In recent years, Guitar Fest has established a close connection to Bosnian sevdah, so in the framework of the Festival plus program segment, where artists of other genres perform, after Amira Medunjanin and Bož Vreć, Damir Imamović and members of his trio - violinist Ivana Đurić and trumpeter Benjamin Drijenčić - performed.
"It was wonderful for me, the audience was wonderful. I was surprised that they knew my songs", said Imamović after the performance, a musician who grew up in a family of Sevdalian bards, but who built his own style, so it is often said that with his appearance "a new Sevdalinka was born".
"Sevdah has a future. When I started playing sevdah in 2004/05. my colleagues told me to leave it alone, that it was old music. I believed that even though it is old music, it can tell new stories and is important to all of us emotionally, historically and artistically. It turned out that I was right because here I am finishing my eighth album, and I have tours all over the world", said the artist who, as part of his "SevdahLab" project, also holds lectures and workshops all over the world.
In addition to performing, researching and writing about sevdah, Damir is also active as an author of music and lyrics and writes for theater, film, video games, as well as for other performers.
"Do you choose Sevdalinka or me? I think we're about halfway there. There are some that I would like to sing but I have no idea how, and there are some that I just pick up and sing and they sound great. I like to ask fellow musicians I perform with, producers, how it sounds, because it's hard to feel something when you're 'inside'. Even when you are 'hit' by an emotion, it does not necessarily mean that it comes out. I need that feedback. In a way, sevdalinka choose me a little, I choose them a little", said Imamović with a smile, thanks to whom the sevdalinka spoiled the soul of the people of Nikšić on the first evening of the festival, who brought Damir back for an encore because sevdah easily conquers, but it is difficult to let go.
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