Cantus Ensemble and John Cage's 4'33''

The grand finale of the Trieste Prima Festival - Hommage to John Cage and his provocation 4'33''
Contemporary music sometimes takes a path too rough for the average listener, a handwriting which tends to be understood and appreciated. For this type of music literature the Trieste Prima Festival engaged Cantus ensemble from Zagreb, who traveled all the way from the present moment towards the entire 20th century of Croatian music, to the great world class innovators and jumped back to the Second Viennese School. (...) The silence that captures ambiental sounds is the famous provocation of John Cage and his composition 4'33'' which they performed in the usual way, with the confusing minutes of - nothing."
Rossana Paliaga (Il Piccolo, 20.11.2007.)

"However, bustling in the audience was caused by over a half century old composition by John Cage, titled 4'33''. Musicians sit on the stage, motionless, for exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds and the music is, in fact, silence; that is, what the audience makes out of it. Bustling, murmuring and snickering gave the impression the concert hall was full of mischievous students instead of serious academic audience. Someone who found the silence most intolerable included his mobile phone into the performance. Staying alone with one's thoughts, without noise and commercials, seems to be the worst thing that can happen to the modern, civilized man. The ice is melting slowly, but, they tell you, this civilization and all its valuable thoughts,  have been drown a long time ago by the common, futile, deafening noise."
Branimir Pofuk (Jutarnji list, 19.11.2007.)

"Paradoxically, the composition which doesn't require a single note to be played (the title signifies duration of the three-movement silence) presents a great challenge for the players. In fact, it's not enough just stepping onto the stage and sitting there in silence for three and a half minutes, but the barely provisory said "non-musicianship" should be presented in a way that will clearly show Cage's idea that silence, too, can be and is music. Of course, the piece confuses the audience, to whom it's maybe not completely clear what exactly is happening (and here, the absence of happening is the happening itself), but, judging by the reactions, it seems that Cantus ensemble, this time again lead by Berislav Šipuš, succeeded in the intention set."
Trpimir Matasović (Zarez, 15.11.2007.)