Susak Music Festival

In the summer of 2007 a group of musicians led by Vuk Popović held a classical concert on the square in front of the church. The concert proved to be a great success. It was just the thing what Susak needed - a thing which brought the island back to life.

Concerts are usually held at beginning of August.

As a result of this accidental success and thanks to enthusiasm of family Popović these concerts continued to be held every summer.

Don’t miss watching a excerpt from the second and the third concert of 2017 festival.

Supporting the festival

We envite you to be a part in the next years event by supporting it. You can submit your contribution via Susak music festival @ GoFundMe

2018. Program

For the twelfth birthday of the festival we have prepared a program with a variety of thematic ensembles.

All the concerts are free for the public, and are held on a pedestal in front of the church of Sv. Nikola in Upper Village, starting at 20:30.

FIRST EVENING 01.08.

The festival will be opened to Bach, Rodrigo, Bolling. Croatian duo Nino and Neno Atanaskovic will present at the beginning of the baroque trio-sonata in the arrangement for guitar and accordion.

In the second part of the concert will be presented baroque form in this new jazz costume: Bolling’s Picnic Suite for Guitar, Flute and Jazz Trio.

It will be a kind of concerto grosso, but with all the jazz manners - modal harmony, groovy rhythms and improvisations.

It will be a treat for both performers and the audience.

• Claude Bolling: Jazz Suite, flute and jazz piano trio
• J.S.Bach: Trio Sonata u C Duru BWV 529, I. Allegro II: Largo III: Allegro , arrangement for guitar and accordeon
• J. Rodrigo: Concerto d‘Arajuez, Adagio, arr. for guitar and accordion
• Claude Bolling: Picnic suite, for flute, guitar and jazz piano trio

SECOND EVENING 03.08.

The second evening will be entirely dedicated to Baroque music, featuring compositions of German (Pachelbel), Italian (Vivaldi), Croatian (Bajamonti), English (Händel, Purcell), All That Baroque.

The musical journey through the baroque echo will allow the audience to hear different compositional expressions within the same style - a kind of music collage.

String quintet composed by renowned international musicians, accompanied by soloists Reu Alaburić (soprano), Marka Zupana (flute), Daria Golčića (oboa) and Vuk Popović (bassoon).

• J. S. Bach: Air, iz orkestarske svite br. 3 (string quintet)
• Purcell : When I am laid in earth, arija iz opera Dido and Aeneas (soprano, string quintet and basso continuo)
• J. Bajamonti: Quand on sait bien aimer iz Devin du village, koncertna arija (soprano, string quintet and basso continuo)
• G. F. Händel: Lascia ch’io pianga, arija iz opera Rinaldo (soprano, string quintet, piano, guitar)
• G. F. Händel: Venti turbini, iz opere Rinaldo (soprano, string quintet and basso continuo)
• A. Vivaldi: La Notte, Op. 2, g-moll, concert for flute and strings
• A. Vivaldi: Chamber sonata in g-moll, RV 103, for flute, oboe and bassoon

THIRD EVENING 04.08.

The final, third night was called Archaic and the other distant worlds.

The various program (from Elizabethan arias, through Ravel, Saint-Saens, Pujol, Bizet, to Prokoffiev) links the thematic thread of death, love archetypal, mysticism, and the absurd surreal-immortal theme to which every age and individual had her answer (but more questions!).

• Elizabethan songs (string quintett and soprano):
  • Anonymus: Oh death, rock me asleep
  • Richard Nicholson: In a merry may morn
  • Richard Nicholson: Cuckoo
  • Richard Nicholson: No more, good herdsman, of thy song
• S. Prokoffief: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op 34 (string quartet, clarinet, piano)
• Renato Rožić: Kvartet Passion Christi (string quartet)
• G. Bizet: Carmen (string quintet)
  • Habanera
  • Les Toreadors
• Miniatures for wind quartet (arr.), for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon:Scarlatti, Chopin, Delibes, Verdi

PASSION CHRISTI

An important part of the program is the “Passion Christi”, a work for the string quartet by Renato Rozic, specially composed for festval.

Rožić was born in Zagreb who built his career in Cologne, where he still lives and works. He is known for his interpretations of classical composers in jazz ensemble, and his compositions are also rich in eclecticism.

Starting from this year we plan to present the works of contemporary Croatian composers, specially composed for the Music Musical Evenings.

Apart from treating the tradition of Croatian composers (from Bajamonti, Dora Pejačević to Bjelinski) from year to year, we believe that it is of great importance to support modern scenes and current artists.

This Rožić composition will experience its premiere at Susak on 4th of October and it is not only a great gift for the festival, but also for the entire musical scene of today!