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MBZ highlights 2011
Dear audience, friends, partners,
Dear MBZ-lovers,
With the intention to use the 2012 for the preparation of the best possible program for the upcoming MBZ in 2013, we decided to remind You of the Biennale year 2011. And You, our dear audience, friends, partners are welcome to share with us your New Year's wishes, but also the comments, critique and appraisal of the MBZ 2011. Post on our facebook page or write an e-mail to info@mbz.hr.
Best wishes,
Your MBZ
· We have celebrated the 50th anniversary of our festival! However, we realise that the agility and vitality of the festival cannot be measured in anniversaries and decades, or the sheer number of different generations contributing, but rather in New ideas, constant readiness to take risk, to investigate, to try something New. So, even in its golden, mature age, the MBZ has shown its ever fresh face. Born in 1961 with the Zagreb Mayor who “stepped over” the river Sava, MBZ reached out across the river only in 2011 and discovered the potential of New Zagreb, entering the New building of the Museum for Contemporary Art, with witch many a New interdisciplinary challenge and cooperation was initiated. MBZ went not just a step, but a few hundred of kilometres further, to Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Varaždin, and the co-productions premiered at the home theatres of the above mentioned cities could also be heard and seen as a broadcast of the Croatian National Television, as well as at the Zagreb cult cinema Tuškanac.
· MBZ continued its commitment to the Youth and the Youngest ones – the grand opening of the festival was thus in the hands and voices of the Zagreb Music Academy Orchestra and Chorus, with the piano soloist Jelena Pavić, who won the Rector’s Award for this performance, the students, also winners of the Rector’s award, included in the HR Project with a series of 3 concerts dedicated exclusively to the Croatian composers. We heard students of the Elly Bašić Music School, who formed the Group for New Music and shared their genius and humoristic approach to the instrumental theatre and the “serious” New music. MBZ brought some good karma to the unique zeitkratzer who, after a magnificent performance at the small hall KDVL, decided to publish the recording of the very same performance of Aus den Sieben Tagen by K. Stokhausen. More information about the CD old school zeitkratzer! can be found on www.zeitkratzer.de. It will be useful in New 2012!
· To recall „how it used to be (from 1961 onwards)“, MBZ organized two exhibitions – video and photo documentary exhibition Image Library by Seadeta Midžić produced by Petra Pavić and an exhibition of MBZ posters Harmony and Semantics by Feđa Vukić. Part of the MBZ program were many anthology pieces and classics by Kelemen, Stravinsky, Ligeti, Boulez, Kuljerić, Lutoslawski, Berio, Messiane… whose scores were performed by soloists Damir Gregurić, Katarina Krpan, Vlasta Gyura, LP duo, D&B duo, Ivana Bilić, Günther Sanin, Aldo Orvieto, Biao Li, Anna Borisovna Sëmkina, Filip Fak, Radovan Vlatković, Davorin Brozić, conductors Tonči Bilić, Marko Letonja, Dian Čobanov, Luca Pfaff, Krzystof Penderecki, Edo Mičić, Steven Loy, The Lutoslawski Philharmonic, Verona Arena Foundation Orchestra, Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, ensembles Zeitfluss and MD7, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. Our cooperation with the Multimedia Institut MAMA is also old News, but in 2011 MAMA and MBZ organized three great shows (Bengolea & Fennesz: Phoenix: Blind date, Indoš & Hinteregger: Kriegspiel, Velsinger & Popp/Oval: wall/paper/wall) at the New venue of the Zagreb Dance Centre.
· MBZ also proved that taking risk is much needed in order to achieve New greatness, with the five co-productions of the musical theatre with five Croatian National Theatres – in Osijek, Rijeka, Split, Varaždin and Zagreb. These great and daring accomplishments were well worthwhile!
MBZ co-produced three very attractive operas:
- A large scale opera Kings and grooms by composer Sanja Drakulić on Miro Gavran’s libretto in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Osijek,
- Stribor’s Forest, Ivan Josip Skender’s opera for all ages based on a fairy tale by Ivana Brlić Mažuranić, directed by Ozren Prohić in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc Rijeka
- Controversial opera Maršal by composer and librettist Silvio Foretić according to the script for the film of the same name by Ivo and Vinko Brešan and directed by Mario Kovač in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Split
and two ballets
- chamber ballet My Name is Nobody by the super-duo Frano Đurović, composer and Massimiliano Volpini, choreographer in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Varaždin
- airy and translucent Air by composer Krešimir Seletković and choreographer Martino Müller in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb
MBZ was nominated for the Croatian Actors' Guild Award 2011 with two out of five of the above mentioned titles in four categories. Nominated were artists Juraj Žigman for the extraordinary costume design in Stribor’s Forest, Berislav Šipuš for conducting and Pavla Mikolavčić for the best ballet performance in Air. However, even more than the individual accomplishments, the conjunction of the excellent choreography by Martino Müller, staging and costume design by Eduard Hermans, amazing lighting, musicianship of Cantus Ensemble whose members sat in the orchestra pit for this occasion, concentration and dedication of the ballet ensemble of the National Theatre in Zagreb and of course, the musical quality of Krešimir Seletković’s piece are all responsible for the realization of the ballet „Air“, which won in the best ballet production category for 2011 in Croatia.
We look forward to future performances of the MBZ operas and ballets in 2012!
· As part of MBZ from 10th to 15th of April the World New Music Days (WNMD) of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) were held in Zagreb, which began with its rich and important tradition in 1923 in a small, picturesque town of the Wunderkind and his Kugeln. It was the first in a row of till today 82 festivals organized in all widths and lengths of the Kugel that doesn’t melt in our mouth as the Mozart’s do, but on which we walk, talk and work – from Venice, Barcelona and London to Yokohama, Sydney and Hong Kong. Out of approx. 500 compositions submitted for the Call for scores, the international jury (Brewaeys, Casablancas, Gligo, Lebič, Ruždjak) selected 69 pieces performed in just 6 days by biNg bang, Zagreb sax quartet and New Sax 4, singers Monika Cerovčec, Martina Gojčeta Silić and Marko Mimica with electronics, XL tuba quartet, Symphony Wind Orchestra OSRH, Camerata Garestin, string quartet Song and soloists on the electric guitar, Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, Zagreb soloists with the conductor Zoran Juranić and double bass player Ilin Dime Dimovskim, Tamburitza orchestra, Big Band and Symphony Orchestra of the Croatian National Television. WNMD in Zagreb pleased and excited assembled composers and ISCM delegates, but also the local audience and community. Dear WNMD friends, colleagues and partners, thank you for your pleasant company, your critique and comments and it will be always nice to see you happy and smiling back in Zagreb again! Come again!
Dear MBZ-lovers,
With the intention to use the 2012 for the preparation of the best possible program for the upcoming MBZ in 2013, we decided to remind You of the Biennale year 2011. And You, our dear audience, friends, partners are welcome to share with us your New Year's wishes, but also the comments, critique and appraisal of the MBZ 2011. Post on our facebook page or write an e-mail to info@mbz.hr.
Best wishes,
Your MBZ
· We have celebrated the 50th anniversary of our festival! However, we realise that the agility and vitality of the festival cannot be measured in anniversaries and decades, or the sheer number of different generations contributing, but rather in New ideas, constant readiness to take risk, to investigate, to try something New. So, even in its golden, mature age, the MBZ has shown its ever fresh face. Born in 1961 with the Zagreb Mayor who “stepped over” the river Sava, MBZ reached out across the river only in 2011 and discovered the potential of New Zagreb, entering the New building of the Museum for Contemporary Art, with witch many a New interdisciplinary challenge and cooperation was initiated. MBZ went not just a step, but a few hundred of kilometres further, to Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Varaždin, and the co-productions premiered at the home theatres of the above mentioned cities could also be heard and seen as a broadcast of the Croatian National Television, as well as at the Zagreb cult cinema Tuškanac.
· MBZ continued its commitment to the Youth and the Youngest ones – the grand opening of the festival was thus in the hands and voices of the Zagreb Music Academy Orchestra and Chorus, with the piano soloist Jelena Pavić, who won the Rector’s Award for this performance, the students, also winners of the Rector’s award, included in the HR Project with a series of 3 concerts dedicated exclusively to the Croatian composers. We heard students of the Elly Bašić Music School, who formed the Group for New Music and shared their genius and humoristic approach to the instrumental theatre and the “serious” New music. MBZ brought some good karma to the unique zeitkratzer who, after a magnificent performance at the small hall KDVL, decided to publish the recording of the very same performance of Aus den Sieben Tagen by K. Stokhausen. More information about the CD old school zeitkratzer! can be found on www.zeitkratzer.de. It will be useful in New 2012!
· To recall „how it used to be (from 1961 onwards)“, MBZ organized two exhibitions – video and photo documentary exhibition Image Library by Seadeta Midžić produced by Petra Pavić and an exhibition of MBZ posters Harmony and Semantics by Feđa Vukić. Part of the MBZ program were many anthology pieces and classics by Kelemen, Stravinsky, Ligeti, Boulez, Kuljerić, Lutoslawski, Berio, Messiane… whose scores were performed by soloists Damir Gregurić, Katarina Krpan, Vlasta Gyura, LP duo, D&B duo, Ivana Bilić, Günther Sanin, Aldo Orvieto, Biao Li, Anna Borisovna Sëmkina, Filip Fak, Radovan Vlatković, Davorin Brozić, conductors Tonči Bilić, Marko Letonja, Dian Čobanov, Luca Pfaff, Krzystof Penderecki, Edo Mičić, Steven Loy, The Lutoslawski Philharmonic, Verona Arena Foundation Orchestra, Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, ensembles Zeitfluss and MD7, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. Our cooperation with the Multimedia Institut MAMA is also old News, but in 2011 MAMA and MBZ organized three great shows (Bengolea & Fennesz: Phoenix: Blind date, Indoš & Hinteregger: Kriegspiel, Velsinger & Popp/Oval: wall/paper/wall) at the New venue of the Zagreb Dance Centre.
· MBZ also proved that taking risk is much needed in order to achieve New greatness, with the five co-productions of the musical theatre with five Croatian National Theatres – in Osijek, Rijeka, Split, Varaždin and Zagreb. These great and daring accomplishments were well worthwhile!
MBZ co-produced three very attractive operas:
- A large scale opera Kings and grooms by composer Sanja Drakulić on Miro Gavran’s libretto in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Osijek,
- Stribor’s Forest, Ivan Josip Skender’s opera for all ages based on a fairy tale by Ivana Brlić Mažuranić, directed by Ozren Prohić in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc Rijeka
- Controversial opera Maršal by composer and librettist Silvio Foretić according to the script for the film of the same name by Ivo and Vinko Brešan and directed by Mario Kovač in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Split
and two ballets
- chamber ballet My Name is Nobody by the super-duo Frano Đurović, composer and Massimiliano Volpini, choreographer in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Varaždin
- airy and translucent Air by composer Krešimir Seletković and choreographer Martino Müller in coproduction with the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb
MBZ was nominated for the Croatian Actors' Guild Award 2011 with two out of five of the above mentioned titles in four categories. Nominated were artists Juraj Žigman for the extraordinary costume design in Stribor’s Forest, Berislav Šipuš for conducting and Pavla Mikolavčić for the best ballet performance in Air. However, even more than the individual accomplishments, the conjunction of the excellent choreography by Martino Müller, staging and costume design by Eduard Hermans, amazing lighting, musicianship of Cantus Ensemble whose members sat in the orchestra pit for this occasion, concentration and dedication of the ballet ensemble of the National Theatre in Zagreb and of course, the musical quality of Krešimir Seletković’s piece are all responsible for the realization of the ballet „Air“, which won in the best ballet production category for 2011 in Croatia.
We look forward to future performances of the MBZ operas and ballets in 2012!
· As part of MBZ from 10th to 15th of April the World New Music Days (WNMD) of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) were held in Zagreb, which began with its rich and important tradition in 1923 in a small, picturesque town of the Wunderkind and his Kugeln. It was the first in a row of till today 82 festivals organized in all widths and lengths of the Kugel that doesn’t melt in our mouth as the Mozart’s do, but on which we walk, talk and work – from Venice, Barcelona and London to Yokohama, Sydney and Hong Kong. Out of approx. 500 compositions submitted for the Call for scores, the international jury (Brewaeys, Casablancas, Gligo, Lebič, Ruždjak) selected 69 pieces performed in just 6 days by biNg bang, Zagreb sax quartet and New Sax 4, singers Monika Cerovčec, Martina Gojčeta Silić and Marko Mimica with electronics, XL tuba quartet, Symphony Wind Orchestra OSRH, Camerata Garestin, string quartet Song and soloists on the electric guitar, Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, Zagreb soloists with the conductor Zoran Juranić and double bass player Ilin Dime Dimovskim, Tamburitza orchestra, Big Band and Symphony Orchestra of the Croatian National Television. WNMD in Zagreb pleased and excited assembled composers and ISCM delegates, but also the local audience and community. Dear WNMD friends, colleagues and partners, thank you for your pleasant company, your critique and comments and it will be always nice to see you happy and smiling back in Zagreb again! Come again!