Our 2011 highlights!
Dear audience, friends, colleagues,
Year 2011 is almost behind us, but hopefully it will remain in our cherished memories and rich experience for a long time. Therefore, a big thank you all for your support, collaboration, compliments, honest listening, comments and criticism with which you followed us for the past 12 months.
In order to present the best possible programme and to maybe fulfil some of your wishes also in the 2012, we prepared the “best of 2011”, as an inspiration for you to share your impressions with us, what you liked or disliked, but also to let us know what you would like to hear, see and experience in 2012. Feel free to send us your proposals and wish lists (on our facebook page or on kontakt@cantus-ansambl.com)…
HIGHLIGHTS...
Great performance of Ligeti’s Concerto for violin and orchestra with Martin Draušnik as a soloist and a full house in Small hall Vatroslav Lisinski - a very rare opportunity to hear this piece being performed in Croatia.
Cantus Ensemble sat in the orchestra pit of the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb at the 26th Music Biennale Zagreb for the performance of the ballet Air by the composer Krešimir Seletković and choreographer Martino Müller. In that way the Ensemble greatly contributed to the team that was responsible for winning the Croatian Actors’ Guil Award for the best ballet show in 2011. Once again we congratulate all our partners in this huge and beautiful project!
We celebrated our 10th birthday! There was no cake, but there was a party – a festive concert in the Saturday in Lisinski cycle. Artists, mezzo-soprano Martina Gojčeta Silić and horn player Radovan Vlatković joined in on our celebration on stage, and composers Frano Parać and Benet Casablancas entrusted us with the first performances of their pieces.
We performed 44 compositions, 27 by Croatian and 17 by composers of other nationalities. It’s very important to mention that we had 11 first performances (K. Seletković – ballet Air, F. Parać – Memorie, B. Casablacas – 2nd Chamber Concerto for horn and chamber ensemble, B. Vlahek – Concerto da camera, B. Šipuš – …un viaggio verso le luci di Amaraath, la stella del ritorno…, for 2 pianos, percussions and chamber ensemble, Ž. Ključe – Fantasy, E. Guin – Solar Mass, Luigi Sammarchi, Sidereus…canto della lontananza – sonetto a Orfeo I XXIII). Big thanks to all of you composers! We learned a lot from you and it will be a huge challenge to collaborate with all of you in the future!
We shared the stage, very often in front of the demanding and exciting audience, with real masters of music. This year our soloists were Martin Draušnik, violine, Martina Gojčeta Silić, mezzo-soprano, Monika Cerovčec, soprano, Domagoj Dorotić, tenor, Berislav Puškarić, bas, Radovan Vlatković, horn, Jasen Chelfi, cello, Marta Babić, mezzo-soprano, Dubravka Šeparović Mušović, mezzo-soprano, Bruno Vlahek, piano, Davorka Horvat, soprano, Choir of the Croatian Radio and Television, ballet ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre Zagreb and ensemble Klang.
We were also famous across the border. We visited our neighbour – Italy (Udine, Trieste) and little bit further away in Germany (Tonhalle in Düsseldorf, festival Ensemblia in Mönchengladbach). We had great concerts in Dome des invalides in Paris with almost entirely Croatian program (Horvat, Gagić, Cipra, Varese, Kelemen) and in Paul Klee Centre and Museum in Bern where we danced to Kagel’s kontra-danse, our conductor sung to Foretić’s Melusine, and we played the silence in Cage’s 4’33’’.
Happy New 2012!
Sincerely yours,
Cantus Ensemble
