In the spirit of dance, rhythm and togetherness, the "Disco Opera" concert by the Novi Sad Big Band, which combined nostalgia and contemporary sound, spectacularly rounded off and closed the official program of this year's, 38th edition of the Bar Chronicle, on Tuesday evening.
"Bar lived art for 45 days: theater performances were sold out, and concerts, exhibitions and literary evenings attracted a large audience. This year, the festival exceeded expectations, raised production and technical standards and showed that Bar is an indispensable point on the cultural map of Montenegro and the region," the organizers point out.
The audience, who filled the Summer Stage auditorium of the Cultural Center to the last seat, had the opportunity to enjoy an evening that combined nostalgia, superb musicality, and modern sound, they say.
“The Novi Sad Big Band organized an unforgettable musical journey through the greatest disco hits of the seventies and eighties. In rich, luxurious arrangements, adapted for a large orchestra, they performed classics by the groups “Abba”, “Bee Gees”, “Boney M”, as well as Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Gaynor... He conducted the orchestra Fedor Vrtacnik, and he was joined on stage by extraordinary soloists Bojana Stamenov, Nevena Reljin, Zoran Sandorov, vocals in the quartet “Disco Sisters”, here virtuoso on saxophone Gabor Bunford i Ivan Blanuš. "The strong energy from the stage spilled over to the audience, who rewarded the performers with applause," the organizers said in a statement.
The “Disco Opera” project successfully combines seemingly incompatible musical genres, bringing a unique experience that connects musical tastes and generations. Conductor and arranger of the program, Fedor Vrtačnik, did not hide his enthusiasm for the atmosphere and the audience's reactions, emphasizing how much the performance in Bar means to him.
"I really feel at home. Every time we come to Montenegro, we experience it as if we have arrived in our own city. We have designed this program to take us all back to the past - to the romantic, creative period of creating disco music. I think we have managed to awaken emotions, memories and recollections of some better times," said Vrtačnik.
He also revealed that the biggest challenge was choosing the songs, because the disco era was rich in different styles and quality hits.
"The 1970s were a period of rebellion against the then dominant rock music, but also an era of incredible musical creativity. Disco music was provocative and progressive back then, and today we have dozens of subgenres of that music. Our band decided to lean towards funk, because it's more natural and closer to jazz for us, but we couldn't ignore the big world hits that marked that era," he adds.
Among them were songs by the legendary band “Earth, Wind & Fire”, such as “September” and “Fantasy”, which, according to Vrtačnik, were among the most demanding to perform. These numbers, the conductor adds, are true musical masterpieces and were a challenge for us as an orchestra. However, they were precisely what gave the entire concert a special strength.
Vrtačnik particularly emphasizes the importance of cooperation with top vocal interpreters and instrumentalists, and the quality selection of soloists also contributed to the success of the project.
"We have a rich network of external collaborators and we work on several different projects simultaneously. Our Big Band currently has eight concert programs, and the crowning glory of these projects is the collaboration with Zdravko Čolić "on the symphony program, which I also conduct. It is important for us to follow trends and offer the audience dynamic, innovative concerts," he said.
The Novi Sad “Big Band”, Vrtačnik reveals, is already preparing a new project called “Showtime”, which will present hits from the 4s and XNUMXs. The premiere is expected on September XNUMXth in Novi Sad, and tours across the region are also announced.
"We have already recorded three original albums, and now we are working on the idea of a fourth one dedicated to jazz-style arrangements of classical music. It will be a challenging but also exciting project, because we want to combine classical tradition and contemporary sound," concluded Fedor Vrtačnik.
Director of the Cultural Center of Bar, mr. Aleksandra Grabež She summarized this year's edition of the Bar Chronicle, emphasizing that the festival exceeded expectations and confirmed its significance.
“This year we have recorded an exceptionally high attendance - almost all theatre performances were sold out, and concerts, exhibitions and literary evenings attracted audiences from Bar, Montenegro and the region. We raised the level of production and technical implementation, which required additional effort, but also brought results that we are proud of. The quality of the program was consistent in all selections, which the audience recognized and rewarded with their attention and trust. The crowning achievement of inter-institutional cooperation was the play 'The Case of Medea', co-produced with the Montenegrin National Theatre, directed by one of the most important European directors Diega de Bree, "which left a strong artistic mark. This production brought a strong dramatic reflection to the stage and showed that the unity of institutions can give rise to artistic projects of lasting value. We are especially pleased that the play will continue its theatrical life on the stage of the National Theatre, which will give its artistic message a new dimension and audience," she said.
Grabež announced that the festival will continue to live on after the stage part, through a film post-festum program from August 20th to 27th at the Summer Cinema of the House of Culture, where carefully selected works of European and world cinema, awarded at the largest festivals, will be screened.
"The audience can expect a selection of eight carefully selected works of the latest European and world cinema, awarded at the largest festivals. In this way, we continue the spirit of 'Chronicle' and confirm its mission to be a space for encounters, dialogue and top-notch artistic experience," said Grabež.
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