The Orchestra of the Croatian National Theatre Split will present a symphonic concert to the Split music audience, featuring two significant and attractive works by romantic giants during the days of Sudamja. Under the direction of Maestro Ivo Lipanović and featuring a solo performance by the renowned violinist Orest Shourgot, the Split orchestra will perform the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 by Johannes Brahms and the 9th Symphony in E minor, Op. 95 (From the New World) by Antonín Dvořák. As a gift for the days of Sudamja and ahead of the HNK Split Day, marking the anniversary of the theater building's establishment in Gaje Bulat Square, the Theater is offering free tickets to retirees.
Before the concert, Orest Shourgot comments on the piece he will perform as a soloist with the orchestra: “Brahms' Violin Concerto is one of the most significant symphonic canvases ever composed. It is among the fifteen greatest works for violin, in terms of conception, depth, weight, seriousness, and quality. It is a symphony for orchestra and violin, a whole in which the orchestra is not just an accompaniment, but an equal partner, a kind of symbiosis. I have always felt, like many of my colleagues, a sense of awe for this work.” Orest Shourgot is a Croatian and Ukrainian violinist, educator, ensemble musician, concertmaster, and collector, a regular professor at the Zagreb Music Academy. He came to CNT Split as a young man and for many years was a musician and concertmaster of the Split Orchestra. He is a musician who has built a significant international career. He currently plays a violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, also known as Giuseppe Guarneri filio Andrea, from 1706, which is owned by the Gerarda Segelman dynasty in London.
Maestro Ivo Lipanović is a prominent conducting figure who has spent a significant part of his impressive career at CNT Split as a long-time conductor, director of the Opera, and principal conductor. Ahead of the concert, he emphasizes the importance that performing symphonic music has for the opera orchestra and the audience, especially when it comes to such quality and attractive titles. Dvořák's Symphony from the New World, Op. 95 was composed in 1893. Created during his stay in the United States, this masterpiece is his interpretation of the sounds of the North American continent. The symphony was born out of his interest in the music of the indigenous people, the American Indians, as well as African American music.
Interested retirees can pick up their tickets at the HNK Split box office.