The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, together with conductor Kevin Griffiths, will have the premiere performance of the Double Concerto for Cello and Percussion, a piece commissioned for the Philharmonic from composer Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic. The world premiere will be held on Friday, January 26, at the Kolarac Hall and the piece will be performed with the world-renowned cellist Kian Soltani and our very own, percussionist Aleksandra Suklar, featuring John Adams’ composition The Chairman Dances and Tchaikovsky’s most beautiful of all – the Symphony Pathétique on the program.

In its centennial jubilee season, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra has commissioned a work from Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic that will resonate with future generations worldwide. Over the past three decades, the author has significantly influenced the international percussion scene as both a performer and composer:

The inspiration for this work largely came from the soloists we met on several occasions for inspiring improvisational sessions. Although the cello is my favorite instrument, there was much more that Kian played, demonstrated, showed, and explained to me. The cello is an infinite instrument… as infinite as the musicality of Aleksandra Suklar – her incredible stage presence was especially inspiring for the first percussion performance in the first movement: ablaze like a fire in a whirlwind, a femme fatale behind the percussion, composer Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic said.

Belgrade audiences are already familiar with the brilliant Kian Soltani, as praised by The Times, while  Gramophone describes his playing as pure perfection. Together with multipercussionist and marimba artist Aleksandra Suklar, known for her extraordinary musicality, technique, temperament, and sensitivity, this duet promises an absolutely fantastic performance.