The star of the concert – bassoonist Nenad Jankovic
The first concert of the principal conductor Gabriel Feltz in the new philharmonic season is scheduled for Friday, October 7 (Kolarac Hall, 8 p.m.) when he will be taking the audience to Berlin with his repertoire. Nenad Jankovic, resident bassoonist of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, is a soloist of the evening, performing Weber’s Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, to his thirty years of work in the BPO.
A born Berliner, chief conductor Gabriel Feltz will portray the atmosphere of the city for the audience, starting with the overture to the first German romantic opera Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber. The premiere performance of the piece was back in 1821 in Berlin, after which it became the most popular German opera of that time. Der Freischütz was staged in many theaters throughout Europe and brought the composer international success.
The philharmonic bassoonist Nenad Jankovic will be the star of the evening, who will bring all the brilliance and charm of this instrument to the audience in the Weber’s Bassoon Concerto in F major. With this concert, the bassoonist celebrates a triple jubilee – 30 years since his first solo performance with the orchestra, his 30th Philharmonic season and 20 years as the first bassoon of the BPO.
Nenad joined the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 17.
I’ve spent two thirds of my life with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and I still haven’t gotten tired of it. This orchestra has always been my first dream and desire, and my second home for thirty years. My colleagues are like a second family to me, especially my group of bassoonists, with whom I have a really special relationship. For three decades at the BPO, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with top conductors and musicians, and now I am performing as a soloist for the first time under our chief conductor Gabriel Feltz, with whom I feel safe, Jankovic says.
The concert closes with Schubert’s Great Symphony No. 9 in C major, for which the initial inspiration was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Schubert tried to reach its range and depth in his piece. Today the Great Symphony is considered a performer’s challenge due to its length and interpretation complexity, which the philharmonic musicians will demonstrate on Friday.
