Two successive evenings at the Belgrade Philharmonic will be devoted to Beethoven and his influence on other composers. Homage to the great composer, on Thursday and Friday, 10 and 11 March (Kolarac, 8pm), will be directed by conductor Howard Griffiths, with violinist Vadim Gluzman as the featured soloist, while the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra will perform young Serbian composer Jelena Dabić’s piece Beethaphase for the first time.
The programme of the concert opens with Beethaphase, a 21st century reflection on the famous composer, and closes with Beethoven’s Symphony No 8. Brahms’ fascination with Beethoven is discernible in all his works and he paid direct homage to the great composer with his Violin concerto, which will be played by violin virtuoso Vadim Gluzman.
For the past eight years, Jelena Dabić has lived and worked in Germany, while her music has been performed throughout Europe, in Asia and South America. Written in 2010, Beethaphase combines motifs from the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 with rhythms from the Balkans, configured in a contemporary music expression.
“We need to venture into the unknown to discover who we are and where we come from. It is a special pleasure to perform my own music in my homeland, from which I draw my creative energy. I am eagerly looking forward to sensing the spirit of Beethoven and his distant historical period through my Beethaphase, seen through the filter of the Balkans and the contemporary musical language interpreted by the brilliant Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra”, said Jelena Dabić.
Vadim Gluzman’s extraordinary artistry brings back to life the glorious violinistic tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Israeli violinist, who will be making his debut with the Belgrade Philharmonic, appears regularly with major orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, London Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic etc.
Under the slogan “The Philharmania – Because Once Is Not Enough”, the Belgrade Philharmonic has introduced five new dates in the current season’s timetable. A day before regular concerts on Fridays, the orchestra will give pre-premieres of the five most sough-after programmes. This time, it will be a double treat For Connoisseurs.
