On October 28, Gabriel Feltz and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra are preparing an extravagant repertoire that will take the audience to Tokyo straight from the Kolarac Hall. The star of the BPO Tijana Milosevic will be a soloist in Spring in Japan, a piece by Aleksandar Sedlar. In addition, a composition by  Tōru Takemitsu, the most famous Japanese author outside the borders of his country, will see its premier Serbian performance that night.

Japan fanciers will feel like they have been taken to the Land of the Rising Sun, as Tokyo is the theme of the upcoming philharmonic concert within the 2022/23 season titled On the Right Track, inspired by travels and majestic cities around the world. Even the titles How Slow the Wind and Toward the Sea hint the atmosphere of the East, evoked by Tōru Takemitsu’s compositions. The almost self-taught composer presents his legacy in a special way, comparing listening to his music with strolling in a garden, capturing its full change of light and shapes.

Tijana Milosevic will perform as a soloist in Spring in Japan by Aleksandar Sedlar, commissioned by Nemanja Radulovic and the Devil’s Trills ensemble, who premiered and recorded it for the Decca label. The piece portrays the great earthquake and tsunami that that hit Japan in March 2011 and brings an atmospheric range of sounds from popular music to suggesting the agony of this tragic event.

It gives me great pleasure to perform in front of my orchestra as a soloist in the composition of my wonderful friend and very talented composer Aleksandar Sedlar. Profound context of Spring in Japan caught my ear even back then, when Nemanja had recorded it, as a work dedicated to him. When the tragedy happened, I was overwhelmed by the love of those people for their country, which was a true reflection of the entire culture. I am glad that I will also be playing this piece, besides Nemanja, because it is important that great works live in parallel with their authors, who should be acclaimed, performed and experienced during their lifetime, says Tijana Milosevic, the First Chair of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra.

Debussy’s symphonic poem La Mer (The Sea) closes the concert, obviously inspired by Japan, which the author unequivocally confirmed by choosing a woodblock print by the Japanese visual artist Hokusai for the cover page of his score. Tickets are on sale at the BPO Box Office, as well as online.