Lovers of romanticism will have the opportunity to enjoy the works on Saturday evening Brahms, which will be performed by the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra under the direction of one of the world's most recognized conductors today, maestro Serbian lover Srba Dinić. The repertoire will include Brahms' compositions - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B flat major and Symphony No. 4 in E minor, and the soloist will be a pianist Simon Trpčeski.
During his long career, Dinić had the opportunity to stand in front of many orchestras around the world that performed the works of numerous composers, and in an interview with "Vijesti" he reveals how Brahms is characteristic for him as a composer:
"While I was studying piano at the Academy of Music in Belgrade, I played the works of Brahms, and for me he was always a composer whom I never thought wrote too much only for the piano. An orchestra was always heard in his music. And when you start conducting the music of Brahms with an orchestra, you realize that this one big and broad idea of full sound in Brahms comes from the orchestra. Brahms means a lot to me because, on the one hand, it is very demanding - sonically, technically, tonally for both the orchestra and the conductor, and on the other hand, it gives great pleasure when you perform that music, not only for me, but also for the orchestra musicians", he says in an interview with " News" Dinić.
Recalling that, as he says, Brahms' works are demanding for musicians, he believes that the CSO, although rejuvenated, is up to the task.
"Absolutely. It is also the best combination of mature musicians and young people who are full of energy. I was just talking to the leader of the cello section at the rehearsal, he is an outstanding cellist Milan. We talked about the cello solo in the third movement of the piano concerto where he, being young and full of energy, wanted to bring it in an emotional way, full of energy, and even a little fast for my taste. When you hear that piece by Brahms, you feel that experienced composer, a man who, while he was writing it, had already been through a lot in his life and wants to show, above all, breadth and peace in that third movement in that beautiful music. During the break, in the conversation with Milan, we came up with a common idea, and when we continued the rehearsal, he played that solo accompanied by the orchestra wonderfully", Dinić shared his impressions.
He adds that the CSO has many excellent musicians.
"How will young people learn if they don't get a chance in the orchestra... Well, who will they learn from, if not from experienced colleagues. I consider myself an experienced conductor, maybe not in terms of age, but in terms of seniority, I am someone who has been through a lot. I believe that this is exactly the idea, that this orchestra has not only good musicians, but also good conductors. Good conductors, each in their own way and in their own way, give a new color to that orchestra, but I absolutely did not meet a single musician here who I thought did not belong in the orchestra. I think that everyone is at a good level, even to my delight considering that many have no experience, I think that I was surprised in the most pleasant sense of the word when I first came to Podgorica. This is now another step higher, and I am especially looking forward to the third concert, which will be in April. We have established excellent cooperation, the orchestra is willing to receive knowledge, information, listen very well, play together and the sound is getting better and closer to that Brahms that is in my head and idea. I can only say the most positive opinion about it", points out Dinić, and because of the good cooperation he achieved with the members of the orchestra, he admits that the rehearsals are also going well.
"They asked the famous one Hebert von Karajana how to gain authority over the orchestra, and he said: 'Very simple: when you know the piece like all of them together'. I believe that if the orchestra trusts you, and I have the impression that they trust me, you know what you want, you know the way you will get it, everything is clear to them and there are no unnecessary questions, everything goes in its own way. I try not to repeat the same things in rehearsal, and for no reason. If you interrupt the orchestra, they have to know why you interrupted them and you have to know what you are going to tell them, and then insist that you get what you want. I think that my relationship with the CSO in this sense is absolutely on an excellent line and in a good atmosphere we always go one step further", boasted the interlocutor of Vijesti.
In a recent interview for "Vijesti", Dinić's colleague Uroš Lajović, who also has a lot of experience when it comes to world orchestras, he said about musicians from the Balkans that "they are not accurate, but that's why they have much more expression".
"I would partially agree with Lajović, whom I know and respect very much. He is a legend not only in this region, but also in the world. I agree with him in the sense that our musicians sometimes think that a lot of emotion is enough, and I always say to look at German orchestras. You don't have throwing, jumping, there is maximum discipline in their playing, everyone thinks and plays in the same musical way, the intonation is good, the sound is the same, and all this brings the quality of the orchestra. This is exactly the role of the conductor to convince a large group of academically trained people to follow him. Of course, I always try to get my picture from the material I have, sometimes it works out better, sometimes less, but I think that here in the CSO they are more disciplined than in some other orchestras in the Balkans. And you also have a lot of young people who, of course, because they don't know everything, are careful, so it's easier for you to model it a little, than for someone to act like they know everything. That's why it's a good match in Podgorica", notes Dinić.
Despite his many years of experience, he has not yet had the opportunity to conduct the orchestra that will accompany the pianist Simon Trpčeski.
"To my great pleasure, this will be the premiere. When they told me that he would be a soloist, I was really happy. I know Simon from conversations, from video conferences, I follow his career because it is very well known who Simon Trpčeski is, but I did not have the opportunity to cooperate with him. We will have the first rehearsal already tonight, we will have three rehearsals together until the concert, which I think is enough to establish contact with the orchestra, but I also expect a high level from it", admits the conductor, who will be doing a completely different program with the CSO in April. - Elgarov cello concert, and the soloist will be Dragan Djordjevic Suzuki.
Despite his many years of experience as both a pianist and a conductor, Dinić, he admits, did not dare to write a piece of his own.
"Musicians do not run away from being all in one, because there are conductors and pianists who are also successful composers, but such are rare. I simply don't have the inspiration and talent for it on the one hand, and what would you write today? Specifically, for me, the best music ends somewhere with Stravinsky i Shostakovich", says Dinić, who is not enthusiastic about contemporary music, and continues the conversation for "Vijesti"...
"There is music that goes back to some modern way of writing, you have experimental music, you have music that is more than experimental like Stockhausen who wrote four helicopters and a string quartet. I think that time is passing and more and more composers are trying to return to that more old-fashioned way of writing. In April, in Mexico, I will perform with the orchestra a piece by a famous Finnish composer who wrote in many colors. It is contemporary, but it still has a kind of aesthetic. Well, that kind of contemporary music is dear to me", he said and revealed how difficult it is for a conductor to lead an orchestra that plays contemporary works:
"And you learn it like any other work, except that for modern works you need much more time. I conducted contemporary music, four months ago I conducted a ballet Stephen Schleimacher, by a highly recognized and well-known composer, lasting only one hour and 25 minutes. But, even so, everyone can make mistakes, but you as a conductor cannot. If the conductor makes a mistake, then everything falls apart, there is nothing left. So, even when I conduct contemporary music, I learn it like Baha i Beethoven, you have to know every note, every mark, even what the composer wanted to say. Then I make contact with the composer if he is alive and he explains to me and I know even better what he wanted. But I can't say that it is my most powerful weapon and that I am interested in it," concludes Dinić.
Online rehearsals are only good during corona
During the corona period, there were no concerts, so many orchestras held rehearsals online. However, the interlocutor of "Vijesti" does not think that this is a good way to prepare an orchestra.
"I don't think online talk helps much. That was a recipe for corona. One orchestra is adorned by playing together in the same place, one transmission of energy, ideas, common thoughts. Playing online is different because the musicians adapted at that moment when there was a corona. However, for people who are social and used to working in a group every day, it was difficult for them to get used to it and say that they will not play together. My orchestra in Braunschweig, where I am the director, is very experienced, but they play twice a day, they have ten dates a week. However, those first concerts we had during the pandemic were terrible, even though it's an excellent orchestra. It's like training a football team, no matter how good they are and everyone together and everyone for themselves, nothing works there. I think that playing in an orchestra is a joint effort and that one musician depends on the other. It's rare that someone can do it alone, except when there is a solo, but everyone needs to pull in the same direction and everyone plays in the same way, and that can only be achieved in joint rehearsals", advises Dinić.
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