The Belgrade Chopin Fest is an international cultural and educational manifestation created in 2012 on the foundations of the piano show of young talents “Chopiniad“, founded in 1990, as the first manifestation in the Balkans dedicated to the piano poet Frederic Chopin. Encompassing a variety of contents in the form of expert lectures, concerts, young talent revues, the festival has become specific, authentic and unusual because through all these activities it not only builds and nurtures the image of the creator.
This also shapes the experience and understanding of his works by the participants and the audience. On this occasion, the artistic director Milenija Reljić presented this year’s concert program emphasizing the importance of nurturing and educating the young audience, as well as giving young talents the chance to perform and present themselves through Chopin’s music.
FIRST NIGHT October 10, 8 p.m., Kolarac Endowment
In the large hall of the Kolarac Endowment, the festival will be opened by the Canadian pianist of French origin Charles Richard-Hamelin, one of the most important interpreters of Chopin’s works, winner of the silver medal and laureate of the “Krystian Zimerman” award at the largest International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015.
SECOND NIGHT October 11, 7 p.m., Synagogue – Novi Sad
One part of this year’s festival will be held in Novi Sad. The Novi Sad audience will have the opportunity to attend a concert called “The Three Colors of Chopin” in the Synagogue, where, as the name suggests, three great pianists will be presented: Nebojša Maksimović, Milan Miladinović and Mihajlo Zurković. The Belgrade audience will be able to hear them at the festive finale, on October 15 in the ceremonial hall of the Kolarac Endowment.
THIRD EVENING October 12, 6 p.m., 7 p.m., crypt of St. Mark’s Church
This year, part of the festival program will be held in the beautiful area of the crypt of the Church of St. Mark in Belgrade. As part of the double concert evening entitled “From Bach to Chopin“, the young pianist Vuk Božilović will perform, and in the second part eminent names of the Serbian music scene will be presented through chamber music: cellist Sandra Belić and pianists Ljiljana Vukelja and Olivera Radmanović.
FOURTH EVENING October 14, 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., Music Gallery of Kolarac Endowment
Inspired by the original idea of the “Chopiniad“, the Belgrade Chopin Fest traditionally continues its mission of supporting young talents from Serbia and the region under the name “Podium of Young Talents“. An Wang from Dragomir Bratić’s class, Tara Glonček’s student, Sara Jović and a student from Banja Luka, Kontantin Kosanović, student of Professor Nenad Kačar, will perform in the Kolarac Endowment Gallery. These young artists will present themselves to us with works by Cimarosa, Scarlatti, Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Liszt, Prokofiev, Poulenc and Despić.
FIFTH NIGHT October 15, 8 p.m., Kolarac Endowment
As I have already announced, the last night of the festival will be closed by three great pianists – Nebojša Maksimović, Mihajlo Zurković and Milan Miladinović. When playing, each of them expresses a special, refined line of Chopin’s works, presenting him in a special way, at the same time educating and reminding the audience of the beauty of music and art in general.
However, this is not the end! To our pleasure, in cooperation with the Kragujevac Cultural Center, another concert evening will be organized, on November 3, under the name “Ladies play Chopin” in the ceremonial hall of the First Grammar School of Kragujevac, where pianists Rita Kinka and Marija Đukić will play. The patron of the Belgrade Chopin Fest since 2012 is the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Belgrade, and the general sponsors of this year’s edition are the Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade and the German-Serbian company “Fiori-Factory“, along with donors from the company “Amagraf” from Poland, the representative office of the Republic of Srpska in Belgrade and the technical support of the Embassy of Canada in Belgrade.
Author: Katarina Georgijević
Translation: Jelena Čolović