GALA OPENING - CONTEMPORARY FORTRESSES OF CULTURE: BOKA, TREBINJE, NOVI SAD

2022-07-29 21:30

Square of the St. Tryphon Cathedral

Friday, July 29                                                                               
Square of the St. Tryphon Cathedral, 9:30 p.m.                             
PHILOSOPHERS’ SQUARE
CONTEMPORARY FORTRESSES OF CULTURE: BOKA, TREBINJE, NOVI SAD
GALA OPENING
 
MONTENEGRO AND AUSTRIA: THE POWER OF MUSIC
 
MONTENEGRIN MILITARY ORCHESTRA (Montenegro)
MILO BELEVIĆ, conductor (Montenegro)
GERNOT HAIDEGGER, conductor (Austria)
MILITARY MUSIC OF UPPER AUSTRIA (Austria)
 
Partners: 
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The regional cooperation project titled Contemporary Fortresses of Culture: Boka, Trebinje, Novi Sad was initiated by the KotorArt International Festival, and is implemented with the support of the Western Balkans Fund and in partnership with the NGO Mostovi, the Music & More SummerFest from Trebinje, and the Almašani Association from Novi Sad. The project’s activities are to be realized within some of the major regional festivals and events and include public conferences, concerts, a film screening, guided tours of Austro-Hungarian fortresses, and a gastroheritological program. Some of the activities will be held at various fortresses themselves – places that may have once symbolized conflict and which were often closed and out of reach, but which for this occasion will become bastions of cultural heritage, dialogue, peace, connection, and diversity. The activities of this project in Kotor are part of the KotorArt Philosophers’ Square and will include the realization of a four-day conference highlighting the importance of the protection, valorization, and sustainable use of Austro-Hungarian fortifications and thereby contributing to the promotion and popularization of this cultural heritage. The conference is to be held from July 29 to August 1, and its program includes: a joint concert of the Montenegrin Military Orchestra and the Military Music of Upper Austria, conducted by Milo Belević and Gernot Haidegger, respectively; panel discussions on different management practices and the importance of a participatory approach and of the valorization and sustainable management of cultural heritage in Boka, Montenegro and the region; a screening of the Boka Fortress film produced by the NGO KOD; and performances by young Montenegrin musicians studying in Austria – vocal artists Antonija Vučinović and Lorena Janković, and pianist Andrija Jovović. With this project, the KotorArt International Festival continues the successful practice of intertwining art with important social themes and intensifies the level of regional cultural exchange and cooperation. 

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Montenegrin Military Music, the predecessor of today’s Military Orchestra, was founded at the end of 1871, when the Montenegrin government hired conductor Anton Šulc. After the Second World War, by the decision of the Supreme Command of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia, in 1949, a vast number of smaller and larger orchestras were formed in respective garrisons, meeting the needs of the Army and citizens. The Central Orchestra for the territory of Montenegro was formed in the then Titograd (now Podgorica), where the golden age of the military orchestra began. They nurtured music of all periods with a special emphasis on the popular music of the second half of the 20th century. The main task of the Orchestra was to participate in state and military protocols, but also to connect the army and the people by holding public concerts. The Military Orchestra has performed at many large-scale events, such as the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, the Belgrade Military Song Festival in Belgrade, the International Meetings of Orchestras in Sarajevo, and the Jazz Festival in Podgorica. They have also performed with the military orchestras of Northern Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom. They participated in the theatrical play Bure Baruta of the Cetinje National Theater.
 
Two years after Austria regained its freedom (1957), a military band was re-established in the province of Upper Austria. Colonel Prof. Rudolf Zeman was appointed conductor of this orchestra. In his demanding work committed to detail, the diligent and dedicated Professor Zeman created the preconditions for the successful work of this military orchestra, which soon won the hearts of the Upper Austrian population. Many original scores of great composers, as well as some more recent music pieces, published by major music publishing houses, were presented, played, adjusted, or even premiered in the rehearsal hall of the Military Orchestra of Upper Austria. Numerous radio and CD releases reflect a small part of the large repertoire of this excellent ensemble. In the more than fifty years of the Military Music of Upper Austria, more than 2000 musicians have completed their military service or training with a “clarinet rather than a bayonet,” as Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick humorously commented on the humane dimension of Austrian Military Music. The Military Music of Upper Austria not only fulfills important duties for the army, but is also an integral part of the culture of Austria – a country of music. It is deeply rooted in the local music tradition and plays a fundamental role in maintaining the high quality of Austrian brass music as a whole.