Download Jasna Veličković LAST SONG: Last Song (2009

Jasna Veličković
LAST SONG:
Last Song (2009-2010) was written as part of my ongoing investigation into playing
the instruments without touching them. In this work performers use hand-made
electronic devices (coils) which excite kalimbas and mbiras. Kalimbas and mbiras
become a resonating body whenever the coil is close, as well as bodies that change
the original material since it's own physicality is compromised. Transformation,
resonance and personal reading of Richard Strauss’ Last Song Im Abendrot, is the
main subject of the piece.
This piece was written for percussion quartet Ear Massage and financially supported
by FPK
BIOGRAPHY:
Jasna Veličković [Belgrade, 1974] studied composition at the Faculty of Music in
Belgrade in class of Srdjan Hofman. She continued her postgraduate studies at the
Royal Conservatory in The Hague in the classes of Louis Andriessen, Gilius van
Bergeijk and Clarence Barlow graduating with distinction.
Her recent works such as Last Song and Shadow Studies focuses on sound
extension of traditional instruments by using the hand-made electronic devices. Her
music material often derives from existing music pieces shadowing or looking awry to
the original.
Her works has been performed at festivals such as A-devantgarde, Archipel Festival,
Aspekte, Biennale Zagreb, Gaudeamus Music Week, Holland Festival, Manca, Time
of Music, by ensembles such as Piano Possibile, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne,
Ensemble Aleph, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Ear Massage, Ensemble MAE,
Ensemble Klang, de Ereprijs, Dutch Radio Kamerorkest.
She won the 28th Irino Prize (2007), Slavenski Award (1998), the first prize at the 5th
International Review of Composers in Belgrade (1996), and was nominated twice for
the Mokranjac Award (2001, 2004).
Jasna Veličković is co-founder of CHINCH – Initiative for Research and Production of
Contemporary Music, “Live” and Visual Arts.
Branka Popović
IN NUCE:
in nuce = in a nutshell; short, concise
The piece was inspired by Stephen Hawking's book “The Universe in a Nutshell”.
BIOGRAPHY:
Branka Popović (1977, Belgrade) graduated from Musicology and Composition
departments (composition studies with Zoran Erić) of the Belgrade Faculty of Music.
She obtained her Master of Music Degree in Composition at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama (composition studies with Judith Bingham). She stayed for another
year at the Guildhall as the Composition Fellow. Currently she is finishing her
doctorate studies in composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade (composition
studies with Zoran Erić).
Her piece Dream (I. S. o. F) for clarinet, violoncello and piano won a prize at the
Summer Music Academy Budapest-Prague-Vienna where she studied composition
with Gyula Fekete. She was one of the finalists of the Canterbury Festival
Commission competition 2005, took part in Stephen Gutman's project What Strikes
the Clocke? and in workshop with the BBC Singers devoted to new choral music
organized by John Armitage Memorial Trust in 2006.
Her pieces were performed at International Review of Composers, KOMA Festival of
New Music, Guildhall New Music Festival, City of London Festival, Sir Harrison
Birtwistle Festival, Festival Brass Spectacular.
She was awarded for the best music in film for “The Breaking Point” (directed by Igor
M. Toholj) at the 56th Belgrade Short and Documentary Film Festival (2009).
ANJA ĐORĐEVIĆ
EVIAN IN SPRAY:
Evian is signifier of a moment where time stops and where one remembers ones own
childhood. There is a memory of my mother singing to me Italian “canzona” or
French “chanson” and there is memory of the sound of her voice.
Evian is a “safe” place, an oasis, a glitterin, cherished source. By returning to the
source, by reliving it, we can try to step into something new and to discover some
new qualities.
Written as a standalone vocal work, using the words of a poem by contemporary
Serbian poet Marija Stojanović, it soon inspired a making of a whole scenic cantata
named “Atlas”.
Evian in Spray could be performed as a single composition or as a part of the
cantata.
BIOGRAPHY:
Anja Đorđević was born in Belgrade in 1970, and she studied composition with
professors Vlastimir Trajković and Zoran Erić. In 2003 she was presented the
Mokranjac Award for the opera Narcis i Eho [Narcissus and Echo], which is also the
first contemporary and staged opera by a female composer in Serbian music.
From 1994, she performed with double-bass player Vojin Draskoci, within Musical
Synthesis project. During the 1990s, on several occasions, she cooperated with
Goran Bregović, both as singer and musical arranger. In the period from 2000 until
2004, she was a member of Balkan music ensemble Marsija, founded by Žorž Grujić.
The ensemble recorded an album entitled High Tree, which was published in 2003
by PGPRTS. In 2003, together with fellow composers Božidar Obradinović (piano)
and Vladimir Pejković (bass), she founded Flat Sky Trio, which performed its original
written music with minimum improvisation.
Her music art is essentially focused on vocal music and musical theatre. With this
purpose, she made many songs and cycles: opera Narcissus and Echo, stage
cantata Atlas, three songs dedicated to Nikola Tesla, standalone vocal pieces - Si
me quitaran, Heat, Shark, Spray of Evian, multimedia performance Classifieds,
musical Life of Jevrem, Tesla-total reflexion etc. Some of her compositions were
inspired with old Serbian music. In 2005, she was composer in residence at Visby,
Gotland, Sweden.
She lives and works as a freelance composer in Belgrade