On Friday, September 29, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in a concert A Century of Creation, to be held in collaboration with conductor John Axelrod. Starting at 8:00 PM at Kolarac Hall, the performance will feature hornist Nikola Ciric, a prominent artist from the Philharmonic’s ranks. The program includes compositions by Kodály, Glière, and Bartók.

The concert is part of a series marking the 100th birthday of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, centered around the theme A Century of Creation, with a special focus on the cultural heritage of Central Europe. The conductor’s baton will be wielded by the charismatic John Axelrod, who enjoys widespread popularity among both musicians and audiences. Sharing the spotlight at the heart of the stage with the talented Philharmonic musicians will be the orchestra’s solo hornist, Nikola Ciric, delivering a performance of Reinhold Glière’s Horn Concerto.

Although I often have the opportunity to perform as a soloist both here and abroad, playing on the stage of Kolarac Hall with my fellow musicians from the orchestra, with whom I’ve been sharing this stage for nearly a decade, is a great honor, immense pleasure, but also a great responsibility. For this reason, I’ve put in a tremendous effort to prepare for this, I would say, quite demanding concerto, and I eagerly await ‘Friday at 8,’ as that famous whistle used to announce. I invite everyone to come, to hear and see how the musicians of the Belgrade Philharmonic breathe as one, and what kind of support we have when ‘one of our very own’ stands in front of the orchestra, Nikola Ciric said, who has been a member of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra since 2015.

The 20th century was a period of immense creativity for the national schools of Central Europe, particularly Hungary. During this era, some of the most celebrated composers in the history of Hungarian music were creating their masterpieces, infused with folkloric influences. The concert program will showcase Zoltán Kodály’s captivating Dances of Galánta. The repertoire will also feature Béla Bartók’s renowned Concerto for Orchestra, certainly one of the most worshiped and the most challenging symphonic compositions in contemporary concert repertoire.

Tickets can be obtained both at the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra’s box office as well as online.