On Friday, April 17, at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, as part of the Zagreb Philharmonic's Blue Cycle, the audience can expect a rare musical experience in which the double bass becomes the star of the evening. In an evening that combines the majesty of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the elegance of Franz Joseph Haydn with the virtuosity of Giovanni Bottesini, under the direction of the charismatic Enrico Onofrio and with the impressive soloist Nikša Bobetko, the stage of the Lisinski Great Hall becomes a place where deep tones get the main say – powerful, virtuosic and unexpected.

 

The program opens with Haydn's Symphony No. 96 in D major, Miracle, a witty and brilliant work imbued with the elegance and surprises characteristic of the composer's style, while the evening is rounded off by Mozart's Symphony No. 41 in C major, Jupiter, a monumental and sublime score that represents the pinnacle of classical symphony.

 

At the center of the evening is the Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor by Giovanni Bottesini, which Nikša Bobetko will perform as a soloist, a work in which the double bass shows all its virtuosity, expressiveness and unexpected lyricism.

 

Nikša Bobetko is a prominent Croatian double bassist with a rich international career, recognized for his virtuosity, musicality and dedication to artistic and pedagogical work. He graduated and received his master's degree from the Academy of Music in Zagreb in the class of Prof. Josip Novosel, and further advanced his studies at the Hans Eisler Music School in Berlin with Stefan Adelmann, as well as at master classes with distinguished pedagogues such as Fernando Grillo, Božo Paradžik and Slawomir Grenda.

 

As a soloist, he has performed with renowned orchestras including the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Zagreb Soloists, the HRT Symphony Orchestra and the Chilean National Symphony Orchestra, as well as with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Zadar Chamber Orchestra and the Croatian Army Wind Orchestra. He has held numerous solo recitals in Croatia and abroad and is actively involved in chamber music, and has released several albums.

 

In addition to his concert activities, he is also continuously active as a pedagogue – since 1997 he has been teaching at the Zagreb Academy of Music, where he currently holds the title of full professor. He is a member of the Cantus ensemble, and has been associated with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra since 1995, while since 2009 he has been the solo double bassist.

 

An evening in which the double bass does not accompany – but leads.

 

Official statement: Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra