#SYNERGY

Sunday, July 16
Church of the Holy Spirit, 9 p.m.
#SYNERGY

PROGRAM

PROGRAM

Milivoje Pićurić (1985)
Air

Performed by: Dušan Obrenović, violin, Andrijana Durmišević, violin, Marija Božić, viola, Teodora Uskoković, cello

Air is a mixture of many gases and tiny dust particles. It is the clear gas in which living things live and breathe. It has an indefinite shape and volume. It has mass and weight, because it is matter. The weight of air creates atmospheric pressure. There is no air in outer space.

Milivoje Pićurić

Ardian Halimi (1990)
On the Edge of Silence

Performed by: Egli Prifti, piano, Tereza Horáková,violin, Entela Qarkagjija, viola, Arian Zherka, cello

The ‘On the Edge of Silence’ piano quartet composition describes sounds that come from the distant quiet and disappear back into the darkness. Nine different acted-out parts that have clear distinctions flow freely into one another, creating a ten-minute tableau of colors, rhythms, sounds, and noises created by contemporary playing techniques. This richly colored palette of sounds will take us on their journey, with even the echo of a triad seeming like a glimpse into history, reminding us of the past. At the very end, the sounds will disappear into whispered noises, leaving only their silhouettes that we can still feel in the stillness. Only when we are on the edge of silence will we hear our inner voice.

Adrian Halimi.

Nina Perović (1985)
Encounters

Performed by: Alenka Bogataj, flute, Leufat Buçuku, violin, Milena Petković, violin, Marija Ticl, voice, Andi Duraku, piano

The composition ‘Encounters’ has been made possible thanks to creative contributions from Marija Ticl, Alenka Bogataj, Milena Petković, Andi Duraku, and Leufat Buçuku. Some of the improvisations the performers played as their reaction to the first version of the score, which went to become a part of the composition, together with previously recorded sounds of Dubrovnik during my residence. The unstoppable horde of people I witnessed every day during this period was in contrast to the idea of personal encounter that we developed in the process of creating the composition. The Encounter is inspired by Martin Buber’s work ‘I and Thou’.

Nina Perović

Matija Krečić (1988)
Big Ship Full of Joy and Crap

Performed by: Iskra Piano Trio – Dušan Obrenović, violin, Teodora Uskoković, cello, Miljana Nikolić, piano

In the daytime, a cruise ship arrives. It comes, throws people out, calls them back after a while, and departs. There’s another one waiting in the bay. The ship  poisons the sea, disturbs and kills the animals, and pollutes the environment with its sounds. The tourists flood the small city center. The streets are full in an instant, people are loud, they bring a lot of trash, but they also bring money. And this outweighs everything else, they say. There is peace in the nighttime. Especially if you watch Kotor from across the bay.

Matija Krečić

Kreshnik Aliçkaj (1982)
Kuartet pianistik
Performed by: Egli Prifti, piano,Tereza Horáková, violin, Entela Qarkagjija, viola, Cristina Basili, cello

Cultural heritage in Albania is evidenced everywhere. You can travel in different times just by looking at different sites, objects, and monuments. I tried to depict this in my composition using original themes in the spirit of Albanian traditional music, both homophonic and polyphonic. Modal scale moments, combined according to rhythms and in the traditional spirit, are woven into modern music forms and achieve expression in language.

Kreshnik Aliçkaj

Timotej Kosovinc (1991)
Unheard Story
I Prologue
II Insight
Performed by: Alenka Bogataj, flute, Timotej Kosovinc, guitar, Cristina Basili, cello, Tim Jančar, piano

‘Unheard Story’ was inspired by the general urban growth surrounding the Chopin Piano Fest Pristina. It is about us, different people with different life stories living together but not knowing each other. Often we are also not willing to listen to each other. The ‘unheard’ story of our neighbor might surprise us and we might come to unexpected and important insights.

Timotej Kosovinc

Partners:

Milivoje Pićurić studied Composition at the University of Montenegro Music Academy under Professor Žarko Mirković and at the Ljubljana Academy of Music under Professor Pavel Mihelčič, while he obtained his master’s degree at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade under Professor Srđan Hofman. His music includes pieces for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, and choral and orchestral works. Standout compositions include: Suite for Piano, Pezzo concertante for piano and orchestra, Nocturne for violin, string orchestra, and electronics, and Intro for Titex Concert. His works have been performed at numerous concerts and festivals in the country and abroad – in Serbia, Austria, Albania, Russia, and Slovenia. His compositions have been recorded for radio and television, as well as been printed for circulation. Milivoje Pićurić is a member of numerous Montenegrin music groups with whom he performs and records jazz, alternative, and experimental music. As a conductor, he has premiered numerous compositions with the Montenegrin Youth Orchestra, both his own and those by other contemporary authors. In the field of incidental music, Milivoje Pićurić has written music for theater and television. He is a professor at the Vasa Pavić Music School in Podgorica.

Ardian Halimi studied Composition at the University of Pristina under Professor Mendi Mengjiqi, at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Zwolle (the Netherlands) under Professor Alex Manassen, and at the University of Music in Freiburg under Professor Cornelius Schwehr, where he also obtained his master’s degree under Professor Johannes Schöllhorn. He has continued to develop his skills through working with composers such as Isabel Mundry, Marcel Reuter, Michalis Lapidakis, and with the Lucilin and Recherche ensembles. In 2018 and 2019, Ardian Halimi was twice the winner of the composition competition of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kosovo with his chamber works Quartet and Inside-Out. His compositions have been performed in Kosovo, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, and Bulgaria, by well-known soloists and ensembles of contemporary music, including the ensembles Recherche, Lucilin, Sinfonietta, the Minguet Quartet, Orkest De Ereprijs, the Sonora Trio, the Ensemble of the New Music Institute in Freiburg, and the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra. Halimi’s compositions have been premiered at international festivals such as: ReMusica in Pristina, Donaueschinger Musiktage – Next Generation, and the March Music Days International Festival in Ruse (Bulgaria).

Nina Perović completed her bachelor’s and specialist studies in Composition at the University of Montenegro Music Academy under Professor Žarko Mirković, and in Piano under Professors Aleksandar Serdar and Vladimir Bochkarev. She obtained her master’s degree in Composition at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, under Professor Uroš Rojko. Nina Perović completed her doctoral studies in Composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Srđan Hofman, as well as postgraduate studies in Composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, under Professor Klaus Lang. In addition to acoustic and electronic music, which are her primary interests, she also writes music for theater and film and is involved in several projects for children. Her opus includes works for symphony orchestra, vocal, chamber, and vocal-instrumental ensembles, and solo instruments. Her compositions have been performed in prestigious concert halls and at numerous music festivals in many European countries. Nina Perović has participated in composition master classes working with composers such as Manos Tsangaris, Enno Poppe, Vinko Globokar, and Stefan Prins, among others. She is a member of the Music Department at the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts and also serves as an assistant and professor at the University of Montenegro Music Academy.

Matija Krečič, violinist and composer, graduated from the Carinthian State Conservatory in Klagenfurt, where he studied Violin under Professor Helfried Fister and Composition under Professor Alfred Stingl. He has written music for several short films and theater plays. Matija Krečič arranged Magnifico’s music for the Serbian film See You in Montevideo, directed by Dragan Bjelogrlić. He is highly sought after as an arranger. He has written pieces for several Slovenian soloists and ensembles, including Mate Bekavac, Bernarda Fink, Tanja Sonc, Jan Gričar, the Janus Atelier Ensemble, MD7, Duo Furioso, Carpe Artem, Metabonma, the Cantabile Symphony Orchestra, the Ingenium Ensemble, APZ Tone Tomšič, and the Ljubljana Madrigalists, among others. He has released two CDs, Architexture (Janus Atelier, 2014) and Cut/Rez (ZKP RTV Slovenia, 2020). Matija Krečič is currently collaborating with artists and ensembles such as Magnifico, Tomaž Hostnik, Teo Collori in Momento Cigano, and Tango Story. He is a member of the Society of Slovene Composers and co-founder of the Janus Atelier Music Association. In 2021, world-renowned violinist Daniel Hope performed his piece In a Melting Pot during the Europe@Home concert series.

 
Kreshnik Aliçkaj graduated in Music Pedagogy and Composition at the University of Pristina under professor Mendi Mengjiqi, a student of the famous Krzysztof Penderecki. He completed his master’s in Music Theory and Composition. Kreshnik Aliçkaj served as a professor of Harmony and Harmonic Analysis at the Music Department of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pristina. He has written four symphonies, five concertos – for violin and piano, trombone, clarinet, guitar, and violin, the Nëna Terezë cantata, numerous chamber works, and several choral pieces. Most of his music has been performed in Kosovo, while some compositions have also been presented to a wider European audience. His first symphony was premiered by the Kosovo Symphony Orchestra in 2009. In 2012, several of his works were premiered: his Symphony No. 2 was performed in Kosovo by the Kosovo Symphony Orchestra and his String Quartet was performed in Slovenia and Austria by the Fegus String Quartet. The composition Dardania Sacra was performed by the Flex Ensemble in Hanover, and the piece titled Viotar for violin and guitar by Pierre Fouchenneret and Jeremy Jouve in Paris. His piece Duo Dance for euphonium and vibraphone was performed by Danielle van Tuinen and Danelle Moreau (2019), and his Wind Trio by the Willingdon House Music Ensemble from London (2020).

Timotej Kosovinc, guitarist and composer, writes for a variety of musical instruments and ensembles, and is especially dedicated to the field of concert music. In his works, he combines classical and modern approaches to composition using material he draws from popular music. His main goal is to speak a musical language understandable to all music lovers and at the same time to explore the depths of the human soul and mind. Timotej Kosovinc studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he graduated with honors in Guitar under Professor Alvaro Pierri and in Composition and Music Theory under Professor Johannes Kretz and Professor Detlev Müller-Siemens. He is currently a PhD student in Music Analysis at the same university. As a composer and guitarist, Timotej Kosovinc is the winner of numerous international competitions and is a regular guest in prominent concert halls such as Musikverein (Vienna), the Slovenian Philharmonic (Ljubljana), and Cankarev Dom (Ljubljana). He is a member of several ensembles and regularly collaborates with numerous musicians and artists on international projects. In 2022, Timotej Kosovinc released his debut CD titled The Good Moment (Contrastes Records) on which he plays his own guitar music.