On Tuesday, December 16, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra performed in Bijeljina as part of the event Days of Serbia in the Republic of Srpska. In a sold-out hall of the Semberija Cultural Center, the orchestra was met with warm applause following performances of works by Despić, Babić, Vujić, and Tchaikovsky.

For this occasion, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra prepared a program showcasing Serbian art music of the 20th century alongside Slavic Romanticism. The concert opened with Počasnica Mokranjcu (Homage to Mokranjac) by Dejan Despić, a composer whose rich oeuvre has left a lasting mark on Serbian musical literature. In this work dedicated to the great Mokranjac, some of the most beautiful themes from his choral music resonate anew through Despić’s distinctive compositional voice. This was followed by Svita Đokoza by Konstantin Babić and Serbian Kolo by Aleksandar Vujić.

In a sophisticated balance with Serbian art music, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings was presented as a representative work of late Slavic Romanticism. Its lush melodies, performed by the Belgrade Philharmonic’s string ensemble, provided a richly expressive finale to the concert.

Earlier this year, in April, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra also visited Bijeljina, when it presented its highly popular program Concerts for babies at the Sokolski House. In addition, the orchestra performed in the traditional ethno-village Stanišići in 2019.