The pianist, a university professor and the director of KotorArt Ratimir Martinović visited China in November and December. During his one month long stay he performed at the festival “Music week 17+1” in Chengdu (province of Sichuan). This festival is a product of cooperation at the Chinese initiative “One Belt, One Road” and 17 other countries of Eastern and Central Europe. Martinović is also a member of the art council of this festival and has been appointed as such by the International Culture Centre of Chengdu. 

Martinović has held a full-length concert at the festival “Maritime Silk Road Art Festival” in Quanzhou which is historically one of the most important cities in China. Martinović has also held a Masterclass at the Shanghai Music Conservatory. During his visit he has made important contacts with imminent Chinese culture institutions, which among others are Shanghai Art Festival, the biggest art festival in China and the above-mentioned Shanghai Music Conservatory. This cooperation will result in a new series of concerts starting this summer. Martinović has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the director of Shanghai Oriental Art Centre, Mr Zheng Yinguo who has already spent time in Kotor during last summer and who will also be one of the partners for guest appearances of extraordinary, award-winning, young Chinese music students who nurture classic and traditional music as well as the contemporary Chinese expression. All of these concerts will be a part of the new series at the KotorArt Festival Don Branko’s Music Days entitled “China Stage”. 

China stage on KotorArt – first concert already in February

China, as the second most powerful world economy and country that extremely values, respects and supports the artistic expression, represents an important partner to us while we are creating new programs. Performance, interpretative, artistic but also the infrastructural reach of current art and music events in this country should serve as an encouragement for all of us in the west and also as motivation, not only for learning from our Chinese friends but also as a reminder of the obligation we have to our heritage, our culture and identity because we don’t exist without them. – stated Martinović in an interview for the world’s biggest news agency Xinhua news.

First concert from the “China Stage” series will be held in Kotor in February in cooperation with Chinese Embassy in Montenegro while the main programs of this series will be held during July and August. The most popular Chinese pianist, globally famous Yuja Wang has already performed in Boka twice and this cooperation will also be continued in the future. 

Martinović has promoted his new album in China

While performing in China, Martinović has also promoted his new album with the entire piano opus of Vasilije Mokranjac which he released on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the death of the great composer whose entire work has been neglected for a long time. A double CD was released by the Grand Piano label, a branch of the NAXOS company specialized for the piano music and it is a first integral edition with music work of this extraordinary composer.