In celebration of its centennial, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in a concert retrospective on Friday, December 1st, taking the audience back to 1923, the year of its inception (Kolarac, 8 p.m.). Under the baton of Maestro Lio Kuokman, accompanied by cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, the orchestra will perform works by Baranovic, Elgar, and Sibelius.

Titled For 100, the concert goes one hundred years back, into the year 1923. The reflection begins with Kresimir Baranovic’s Symphonic Scherzo, an homage to the former chief conductor and artistic director who led the institution for an entire decade (1951-1961). This piece premiered in 1923 in Zagreb, and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra inaugurated the Ilija M. Kolarac grand concert hall on February 4, 1932, with this striking composition.

Also in 1923, Jan Sibelius crafted his Symphony No. 6, while a few years earlier, Edward Elgar composed his renowned Cello Concerto. Performing the concerto is Nicolas Altstaedt, one of the most sought-after cellists of his generation, frequently appearing with leading orchestras worldwide. Maestro Lio Kuokman will be leading the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time in this concert, a remarkable conductor from the younger generation, the musical director, and chief conductor of the Macau Orchestra, who was among the recipients of the Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award in 2021.

The concert is already a sold-out event, however standing tickets will be available for purchase one hour before the start of the concert, until 7 p.m., at the Kolarac box office.