The Choir Festival "In Unity with a Singing Heart" last night offered the audience in the Church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town another exceptional musical experience, as in addition to the host, the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo" (1839) from Kotor, they also had the opportunity to hear the Choir of the Church of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker from Trieste.
“Tonight’s program begins with a performance by the SPD “Jedinstvo”. Since 1994, when its work was officially resumed, the Kotor Choir has achieved notable results on the domestic and international music scene. Guest appearances and concerts in cities in several European countries have remained in the Society’s annals, and along with the mixed choir, which you will soon hear, the children’s and youth choirs are performing very successfully. All of our choirs have made a special contribution to the celebration of the greatest holidays, Christmas and Easter, with special broadcasts on TV Montenegro and other modern media. The conductor of our choir has been Mihajlo Lazarević, MA, since 1994, and he has also successfully led the “Vida Matjan” Music School in Kotor. From the plains of Vojvodina, he has adapted to the Boka Kotar ambience and musical tradition, and he also collaborates with other significant music festivals in our city and Montenegro,” said host Dušan Davidović.
He then introduced the Trieste choir.
“Our guests from Trieste are members of a choir founded in 1837 at the request of the Serbian Orthodox community from that city, where there was a very large and significant colony of Bokelje, who were very influential in Trieste at that time. Today, the Choir of the Church of Saint Spyridon has 24 members from 10 countries, and they sing together: Serbs, Slovenes, Italians, Ukrainians, Russians, Armenians, Croats, Argentines, Macedonians and Bulgarians. The choir’s task is to participate in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays as well as other religious holidays throughout the year. They also participate in other cultural events in Trieste. It has had guest appearances throughout Italy and abroad. As for the repertoire, it is mainly Serbian and Russian Orthodox music, as well as works of Serbian folk music. The choirmaster of the Trieste choir is Prof. Dr. Ana Kaira, who completed her studies at the Russian National Academy of Music in Moscow and Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Kiev. Ujetnički is the director of the cultural association in Lausanne and the international choir festival in Trieste, and has published several publications in the field of musicology and church music,” said Davidović.
Program of the Serbian Singing Society “Jedinstvo”:
1. Ivana Srbljan: Source of Life
2. Elena Junek: Virgin Mary, Rejoice
Conductor: Deacon M.Sc. Mihajlo Lazarević
Program of the Choir of the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Spyridon in Trieste:
1. Kornelije Stanković: It is Worthy
2. Aleksej Kosolapov: Strengthen God
Milan Mladenov, baritone
3. Boris Dodonov: Magnification of St. Spiridon
Milan Mladenov, baritone
Uroš Đukanović, bass
4. Fedor Dubjanskij: Our Father
Daria Vitez, soprano
5. Russian "Obihodni" chant: Cherubic Song
Uroš Đukanović, bass
6. Serbian "Karlovački" chant: Tsarju nebesni
Katarina Spasić, mezzo-soprano
7. Francesco Sinico: Canon of the Eucharist
Milan Mladenov, baritone
Uroš Đukanović, bass
8. Anonymous author: Tsarska ektenija
Karina Oganjan, soprano
Uroš Đukanović, bass
9. Anonymous author (ancient chant of the Armenian Apostolic Church): Surp, Surp (Svyat, Svyat)
Tamara Mrzojan, soprano
10. Stevan St. Mokranjac: Thanks
11. Kornelije Stanković: Jelici vo Hrista krestitesja
Conductor: Ana Kaira
At the end of the concert, the hosts and guests exchanged appropriate gifts, so the Treasury of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Kotor is now richer for another significant work, the book “Culture of Serbs in Trieste 1754 – 1914”.
Today, on Sunday, June 28 at 9:30 pm on St. Luke's Square, at the closing of the festival, the Choir “Zima” from Bar will perform.
The organizers of the Choir Festival “In Unity with a Singing Heart” are SPD “Jedinstvo” Kotor and the Serbian Orthodox Church Municipality of Kotor, with the support of the Municipality of Kotor and ŠOSMO “Vida Matjan”.
(SPDJ Kotor)