The Belgrade Philharmonic is preparing a special memorial event for their beloved director Ivan Tasovac, through a restaging of Igor Stravinsky’s iconic “A Soldier’s Tale” on September 26, 27 and 28 (Belgrade Philharmonic Concert Hall, 8 PM) with striking video materials depicting Tasovac as the main protagonist of the previous production from 2021.

In memory of Tasovac and his many talents, the chamber ensemble led by concertmaster Tijane Milošević is reuniting, and the team led by director Nikola Zavišić is joined by actresses Dubravka Kovjanić and Vladislava Đorđević. When they staged this avant-garde work by Igor Stravinsky four years ago, the Belgrade Philharmonic created a real musical and stage sensation by transforming its hall into one of the most authentic theater stages in the city. Then, in the triple role of soldier, devil and narrator was Ivan Tasovac himself, and on that occasion he stated:

“For the director of an institution, the greatest success is when he cannot get used to the constant innovations, challenges and ideas that come out of it. Our Tijana Milošević invited me to participate in this project, which is also her doctoral thesis, and I gladly agreed. However, I very nearly regretted this decision, realizing how demanding this triple role is, but the way in which the director Nikola Zavišić led the play, decisively and convincingly, completely broke my stage fright.”

In tribute to Tasovac, who passed away on September 29, 2021, the Philharmonic is organizing a restaging of this performance through a unique display of his talents. And this time, two actresses in the role of narrators, Dubravka Kovjanić and Vladislava Đorđević, will give the production a completely new and fresh touch.

In the performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale”, which is a combination of music, drama and dance, the musical team consists of Tijana Milošević (violin), Mihailo Samoran (clarinet), Sava Đurić (bassoon), Boban Stošić (double bass), Jovan Savić (trumpet), Richard Wheeler (trombone), Aleksandar Radulović (percussion).

Director Nikola Zavišić repeats his interpretation of “The Soldier’s Tale” from 2021, when he decided on a challenging staging through a combination of video material, on-stage narration and dance. Thus, the performers are joined on stage again by Una Đelošević, an actress and dancer; the rest of the team is comprised of costume designer Suna Kažić, video artist and editor Filip D. Mikić, while Sanjin Ćorović (Production Pool) is in charge of technical production.