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THE MUSIC SCENE IN SPLIT BETWEEN 1945 AND 1993 By Miljenko Grgiæ |
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THE MUSIC SCENE IN SPLIT BETWEEN 1945 AND 1993 By Miljenko Grgiæ |
The establishment of a permanent opera ensemble in the Split theatre in 1945 and its increasing role in the life of the town opened ways and possibilities for other music events, primarily concerts and recitals. Together with the Split Philharmonic Orchestra, whose continuity had been occasionally interrupted, there was a Symphony Orchestra, a "Music WorkshopÇ, the Split String Quartet and the Split Chamber Orchestra, whose activity has been continuous up to the present day. This has all enabled the concerts and recitals to be more frequently performed, and with the establishment of the Split Summer Festival back in 1954 major concerts and musical performances were shifted to the open air stages, which was a welcome novelty. The repertoire consisted of approximately equal number of renowned foreign and Croatian composers, and they have been performed by distinguished Croatian musicians, as well as by numerous guest artists from abroad, ranging from singers, pianists and other soloists to many outstanding conductors. |
Apart from the opera and professional orchestras, the concert life in Split could not possibly be imagined without a considerable contribution made by various local amateur music associations, choirs and groups of singers, particularly the ones performing the traditional Dalmatian ßa capellaÇ singing, thus enriching and diversifying the concert repertoire. Although these local groups primarily cultivate the indigenuous traditional Croatian music expression, they also perform the works of major European composers. |