The Belgrade Philharmonic, together with Kevin Griffiths, premieres the Double Concerto for Cello and Percussion, commissioned by the composer Nebojsa Jovan Živković, on Friday, January 26. (Kolarac, 20h).
The piece will be performed together with the world-famous cellist Kian Soltani and our percussionist Aleksandra Šuklar, and the program will include Adams’s composition “The Chairman Dances and the most beautiful of all – “The pathetic”, Tchaikovsky’s symphony.
In the centenary season, the Belgrade Philharmonic commissioned a work by Nebojša Jovan Živković, which he leaves to future generations all over the world. During the past three decades, as a performer and composer, the author had a significant impact on the international percussion scene:
“The inspiration for the work mostly came from the soloists with whom we met on several occasions for inspiring improvisational sessions. Although the cello is my favorite instrument, there was much more that Kian played, demonstrated, showed, and explained to me. The cello is an infinite instrument… As infinite as Aleksandra Šuklar’s musicality – her incredible stage presence was an inspiration especially for the first performance of the percussionists in the first movement: blazing like a fire in a whirlwind, a femme fatale behind the percussions”, said Nebojša Jovan Živković.
The Belgrade audience already knows the great Kijan Soltani well, as evaluated by “Times”, and “Gramophone” describes his playing as pure perfection. Together with the multi-percussionist and marimba artist Aleksandra Šuklar, who is adorned with extraordinary musicality, technique, temperament and sensibility, this duet promises an absolutely fantastic concert.
