Chamber Symphony – Shostakovich

St. George’s Strings will perform Dmitri Shostakovich’s ‘Chamber Symphony’, dedicated to the victims of fascism, on the plateau in front of the Svilara Cultural Station on 17 June, at the NEO festival as part of the Fortress of Peace programme arch.

The famous Dmitri Shostakovich arrived in Dresden in the summer of 1960 to work on the music for a film made in East Germany in the city that suffered the most in the allied bombing in 1945. The number of victims in Dresden exceeded those of Hiroshima. This impression of Shostakovich evoked the memory of the siege of Leningrad when the Leningrad Symphony was created, a historical and musical work that was a reaction to totalitarianism in general, with a universal meaning and a clear motto: in memory of the victims of fascism and war.

At the very beginning of the Fortress of Peace programme arch, one of the most famous chamber ensembles in the country, St. George’s Strings, will perform Shostakovich’s ‘Chamber Symphony’, a famous example of the victory of art over destruction and totalitarianism.
Programme:
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a
I Largo
II Allegro molto
III Allegretto
IV Largo
V Largo
The string orchestra St. George’s Strings was founded in 1992 on the initiative of former students at the School for Music Talents from Ćuprija and Professor Petar Ivanović. From its founding until today, several generations of the most eminent artists have made this Belgrade chamber ensemble unique. The current line-up consists of assistants, assistant professors, associate and tenured professors from the country’s music faculties, members of the Belgrade Philharmonic, professors at music high schools, and students of primary, master’s, and doctoral art studies.
The first prize at the International Music Youth Competition in Belgrade in 1996, achieved under the artistic direction of Professor Petar Ivanović, contributed to this ensemble becoming one of the most important orchestras in the country.
That same year, St. George’s Strings was invited to perform a concert in London on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of UNICEF. At the invitation and recommendation of Prof. Ivanović, the role of music director of the orchestra from 2006 to 2011 was entrusted to a world-renowned violinist – Gordan Nikolić. A music marathon called the Music Challenge, in which all of Mozart’s Violin Concertos and Symphony no. 29 in A major were performed with Gordan Nikolić in the role of soloist and music director, was awarded the Belgrade Award for the Most Successful Concert in 2006. The St. George’s Strings concert with violinist Roman Simović, performed at the Kolarac Endowment on 15 November 2011, was named Concert of the Year by the magazine Muzika Klasika. The concerts of the St. George’s Strings were accompanied by undivided sympathy of the audience and high marks by the professional circles in the country and abroad. In addition to published reviews, permanent sound recordings for radio and television, as well as 18 released CDs, authentically document the orchestra’s artistic results.
St. George’s Strings have over 1,600 concert performances in the country and abroad. Their repertoire includes numerous works from different stylistic eras, from baroque to contemporary music. They regularly perform compositions by Serbian authors, many of which are dedicated to this ensemble, as well as works of chamber music in arrangements for string orchestra.
Among the most significant tours and guest appearances are those in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. St. George’s Strings regularly perform at renowned festivals: BEMUS, NOMUS, BELEF, NIMUS, Ohrid Summer, Interfest Bitola, Days of Mokranjac, Budva Theatre City, Sarajevo Festival, International Composers’ Forum, KoMA, etc.
The chamber orchestra St. George’s Strings marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the ensemble in 2022, which also makes it the oldest active ensemble of this type in the country. The orchestra will mark this important jubilee, both for itself and for the Republic of Serbia, with a series of concerts in Belgrade and other Serbian cities, and there are also plans for guest appearances abroad.
The event is accessible to persons with physical disabilities.

Photo: Vladimir Veličković