With the aim of enriching the cultural and artistic content of Podgorica, but also of all of Montenegro, and to become a recognizable event in the region in the future, the second edition of the International Music Festival "Contrasts" begins today and lasts until December 18th in the capital.
During three concert evenings, the audience in Podgorica will have the opportunity to hear prominent names from the world of classical music, it was announced at yesterday's press conference at the Cultural and Information Center "Budo Tomović".
The program will open tonight in the concert hall of the Art School of Music and Ballet "Vasa Pavić", at 8:30 PM, with a joint performance by the flautist Zane Lekic from Montenegro, flautists Andjele Bratic from Serbia and pianist Dušan Aksentijević, also from Serbia, who is also the director of the Festival. The program includes works by composers such as: Kulau, Teleman, Shostakovich, Morricone, Dopler.
Renowned pianist from Montenegro Boris Kraljevic, will perform on the second day on the main stage of the Montenegrin National Theatre, at 20 pm, when they will perform the works Haydn, Mozart, Schubert i Messiah.
On the third evening of the Festival, at 20 pm in the concert hall of the “Vasa Pavić” school, the “Podium of Young Artists of Montenegro” will be held, and students from music schools from Podgorica and Herceg Novi will perform. The opening and closing concerts are free.
"We are convinced that the Festival will become recognizable, helping to create and promote the international musical image of Montenegro and Podgorica, stimulating cooperation with young people through musical trends, raising the musical literacy of the population, students and teachers, as well as the level of urban culture and heritage preservation, affirming and developing the music segment as an important cultural offering. This year, we will try to achieve a new quality and, by organizing and selecting prestigious repertoires and world-famous participants, raise the level of the Festival and make it even more prestigious in the region," said Aksentijević at yesterday's conference.
He particularly emphasized the importance of the participation of young and talented musicians.
"The festival, whose project is led by the Center for Support of Local and Regional Development - CeP, will gather and provide in one place an audience from different cultural backgrounds, ages, levels of education, and financial opportunities, and through such an exchange of diversity, create very interesting and fertile ground in the environment in which it is held," he said.
Pianist Kraljević assessed that the repertoire itself makes it clear that these are demanding compositions, which are also hits for this chamber format.
"These are concerts that should not be missed. It is an honor and pleasure for me to present myself to my Podgorica audience. Why do I say mine? Because I have performed concerts and given master classes on five continents, however, my life and artistic journey have been marked by Herceg Novi, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Cetinje, of course Moscow, and in the last 20 years, Singapore. These are my audiences, cities and environments where I have been active artistically... But, I would now like to turn my attention to Podgorica and the hall and institution where I began my artistic life, which is the music scene of the Montenegrin National Theatre, because I had the honor and pleasure of having my concert be the first after the opening of the Montenegrin National Theatre," Kraljević emphasized, adding that he is especially looking forward to the concert of young artists.
Lekić said she was looking forward to tonight's concert and that she enjoyed the preparation.
"What I am particularly pleased about is that I can contribute to the development of a young festival. I think that the support of us artists-performers is indispensable, because these are things that we recognize as having artistic value and to which we should contribute in the best possible way by supporting and being with people who are creative and have a vision and desire to contribute to Montenegro and Podgorica as a cultural environment," said Lekić.
Bratić also confirmed her own satisfaction at being part of the festival and sharing the stage with her colleagues.
"I hope and believe that this young festival of yours will grow with success, because I know what kind of people and artists you are and I believe in you, and I thank you for believing in me and for inviting me," she said, sharing her impressions from the rehearsals for the performance.
"We share the same musical thinking and we simply let ourselves be guided by what we feel during the interpretation, it seems to me that it has borne fruit, and I am sure that the audience will have the opportunity to hear and feel it too," she said.
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