Dedicated to Stevan Hristić

Founder, first Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic, the distinguished Serbian composer Stevan Hristić held this position from 1923 to 1936. Under his leadership, the orchestra took its first professional steps: establishing a subscription concert series, organizing guest appearances by both local and international artists, and beginning systematic work on mastering the core symphonic repertoire.

Conceived as a tribute to remarkable figures from the orchestra’s history, the new concert season opens with a work that itself carries a deeply personal dedication. Milan Mihajlović’s delicate Memento, awarded with the prestigious Stevan Mokranjac Prize in 1994, was written in memory of his colleague and musical role model, Vasilije Mokranjac.

On this occasion, two renowned Spanish artists make their debut with our orchestra. One of the most beloved works in the repertoire for viola, William Walton’s vibrant Viola Concerto is performed by Sara Ferrández, a standout artist of the younger generation, while the orchestra is led by Josep Vicent. Under the direction of this versatile, two-time Grammy-nominated conductor, the program concludes with Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.

Although Prokofiev was far from the front lines in the summer of 1944, the sounds of war permeate his Fifth Symphony. Its restless music is infused with marching rhythms, snare drum tremolos, manic tempos, dizzying fragmented passages, and biting harmonies. At moments, the orchestra seems almost in conflict with itself, only to unite in the next instant into a powerful, cohesive whole. Its premiere, famously accompanied by artillery fire, remains an inseparable part of the history of Prokofiev’s wartime symphony.