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SPLIT SUMMER FESTIVAL by Tomislav Kuljiš |
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SPLIT SUMMER FESTIVAL by Tomislav Kuljiš |
In his article dealing with the Split Summer Festival Mr Kuljiš, being himself a participant of the said event, has classified the thirty-eight seasons held so far into three major categories or periods.
The first period which covers the time between 1954, when the festival was established, and 1968, was characterized by the discovery of a number of open air stages, and was marked by maestro Silvije Bombardelli, who conducted the major musical productions. By the end of this period the event was named the Split Summer Festival, the name it has been known by ever since. |
The second period comprises the seasons between 1968 and 1978. For most of that time, namely from 1970, the event was sponsored and organized by "Dalmacijakoncert", a concert agency, with Tomislav Kuljiš being responsible for the implementation of the programme. This was the time of numerous distinguished guest artists, a number of opening nights, as well as many premieres of Croatian works. As many as seventy-three pieces composed by Croatian composers were performed, and among the foreign guest artists and ensembles the Boys' Choir of Vienna, London Festival Ballet, Chamber Orchestra of Munich and Parisian Wind Octette are particularly worth mentioning, not forgetting the guest appearance of numerous renowned soloists.
The year of 1979, when the entire organization was taken over by the Croatian National Theatre of Split, could be considered as the commencement of the third period. Maestro Nikša Bareza, a prominent Croatian conductor, took over the artistic management. During this time both the orchestra and the choir were being reinforced and further developed, and the repertoire policy was marked by producing less frequently performed pieces, as for example Boito s "Nero" and Rossini's "Moses", retaining of course most of the standard repertoire pieces, like Verdi's "Aida" and "Nabucco". In the recent years, however, the number of open air stages for the opera and concerts has been reduced. |
