Milko Kelemen – A Visionary Who Shaped the Contemporary Music Scene
In celebration of his 100th birthday, the Croatian Composers' Society and the Cantus publishing house are preparing a concert homage to one of the greatest figures of 20th-century Croatian music.
He was an explorer, adventurer, visionary, initiator, and an inherently creative person who captivated others with his personality and charisma. Milko Kelemen, a "passionate seeker of the unattainable and unfathomable," as he described himself, considered music to be "the art of the greatest possible freedom",a belief that gave him the courage to venture into its boundless realms.
Kelemen utilized the Cold War tensions between the East and West to establish the Music Biennale Zagreb - one of the most renowned contemporary music festivals, bringing some of the world's greatest musical names to Zagreb, from Igor Stravinsky to John Cage. In the early 1960s, at a time when the Internet was yet to be invented, and the world was divided by the Iron Curtain, Milko Kelemen opened doors through which our community could enter the wider world.
He received the highest awards granted by the world's major music centers, including the highest national award, the Vladimir Nazor Award, a Lifetime Achievement Porin Award, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Zagreb. Undoubtedly, he is one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Croatian music. In an era when modernity was a matter of intellectual level, being well informed and in the know, Kelemen was definitely in!
Although he never severed ties with his homeland, he simultaneously worked in Germany for years (where he also taught composition in Stuttgart, among other things). He has now left a legacy to Zagreb and Croatia in the form of an award bearing his name, initiated for the benefit of young Croatian composers. The competition for the Milko Kelemen Award, held by the Croatian Composers' Society and Music Biennale Zagreb, was announced on March 30th this year, precisely on Kelemen's 100th birthday.
In honor of Kelemen's centenary, the Croatian Composers' Society and the Cantus publishing house are also preparing a concert homage featuring several works from his opus. The concert will be performed by members of the Cantus Ensemble, conducted by Berislav Šipuš, who can rightfully be considered a successor to Kelemen's invaluable legacy. The concert takes place on Monday, April 22nd, in the Small Hall of Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, starting at 8:00 PM.
From Kelemen's rich opus, the following pieces have been selected by Cantus Ensemble and maestro Šipuš for this occasion: Constellations for Orchestra (1959), Mobile for Solo Percussionist (1988, soloist Marko Mihajlović), Rondondo 1 for Wind Trio (1977), and Radiant for Chamber Ensemble (1963). Requiem for Reciter, Six Cellos, and Large Drum (1993) is of particular interest, where the role of the narrator will be performed by the actor Sreten Mokrović.
Thus, the Croatian Composers' Society and the Cantus publishing house continue their valuable series of author concerts dedicated to some of the most prominent figures of our contemporary music scene.
