One of the great Dalmatian island cultural events of the years opens on September 1, 2018, as the Korkyra Baroque Festival returns to Korcula for its 7th edition. TCN caught up with dynamic festival director Laura Vadjon to find out more about the festival and what is in store this year.
1. As more young people listen to modern music, you have moved in the opposite direction, founding the Croatian Baroque Orchestra. Tell us a little about the orchestra and what motivated you to start it?
I personally always loved baroque music and even prefer it to ever so popular romantic music.
So finally, the Croatian Baroque Ensemble was formed in 1999. being the first Croatian ensemble that plays baroque on the old instruments, gut strings, with proper bows…following the standards of the HIP movement in Europe ( historically informed performance ) which basically means that we try to perform this music respecting the style and the way of playing that was meant for this music… without the modern time inventions, let alone modern time phrasing and equality with each and every stroke or blow…
Today, everything is about speed, loudness, beat, perfection, grandeur and impressiveness at a glance …. whereas in baroque music we try to cherish subtleties, different characters, sounds, colours and techniques and – above all – articulation, to really address the audience with our music making!
Not all the music is meant to be loud, accented and aggressive… the beauty lies in variety!
2. With such obsessions with iPhones and instant gratification, how hard is it to get the youth today interested in playing for such an orchestra?
As you can see, baroque music in Croatia belongs to the younger generations. I was the first ever baroque violinist in Croatia and today am far the oldest!-….hahahah
Young players either love it or refuse to have anything to do with it, joining the ignorance of the older generation of musicians…. A pity for them.
Those who play with me – they enjoy it big time and actually find our projects the most interesting, inspiring and rewarding.
I try to bring interesting guests, leaders, conductors and instrumentalists from abroad, who are actually real stars in the baroque world – so it is always new and intriguing!
And actually, when it comes to instant musical ideas, baroque correlates with the modern way of living much better than any other genre.
Short, exact, clear and honest musical phrases are presented in a line of constant changes…. no movement is too long and nothing lasts forever… whereas in romantic music we can sometimes be drawn into an ocean of melancholy, sadness and self-pity…( this is me being funny about romantic music but I really think that ;))
3. Croatia is a major tourist country which is become one of the music festival hotspots in Europe. How hard is it for more traditional types of music to have their voices heard in the modern era?
A lot is happening nowadays… we have so many tourists of every possible age coming to Croatia for holidays and events of all sorts.
Luckily, our great ongoing tradition of music and theatre Festivals never stops to attract audiences and the production and quality are top levels.
I believe that classical music and drama will always be attractive…. nothing can still replace the magic and the atmosphere of a live performance in an ambient on the coast of Adriatic sea with the smell of pines and cries of swallows…
Unless it is spoiled with the smell of barbecue and shouting of drunkards…
That’s why we should be clever enough not to have a mass approach to our touristic offer… and definitely give more importance and advertise more our cultural offer and heritage.
4. And now Korčula. The Korkyra Baroque Festival each September is one of the cultural musical highlights of the Adriatic. Tell us how it started.
Thanks to Michael Unsworth, owner of famous LD hotel and restaurant and his unselfish support and vision -The Korkyra Baroque Festival was established in 2012 as a high-profile cultural event.
It promotes local cultural heritage and brings in the best concert offer from both domestic and international baroque scene. The concerts in historical venues in the town of Korčula, as well as new regional locations: the Island of Vrnik, Orebic, Ston, Vela Luka, Blato, Pupnat, Smokvica and Dubrovnik, create a unique synergy and magic, which makes the festival a must-see cultural event of the global music scene.
5. The logistics of organising such a festival must be challenging. Tell us a little about that.
You have to love it and really want it to happen…then only the sky is the limit!
Being an artistic director, I admit that my “artistic” part of the job is fun and joy. A piece of cake, so to speak! Practising, performing, inventing programmes, finding artists, new music, emailing players, being creative and inventive … yes, it takes time but it doesn’t cause stress.
Management, publicity, dealing with people, co-workers, organization, keeping the budget low, protecting the instruments in a particular climate, a constant struggle for money and recognition, being understaffed, organization of travel for the artists and their instruments to an island that is so far from both Split and Dubrovnik airport…. that is a REAL challenge if I put it nicely! 😉
So, thank you for this question …I know that from the outside it all looks nice and glamorous but it is a hard work with unlimited working hours!
Ask my husband and daughter!
I miss them….
6. What can we expect from this year’s festival? When, where, who?
The Seventh Korkyra Baroque Festival, lasting from 1st to 16th September 2018, will once again host prestigious international and domestic ensembles and soloists, specialists in the performance of baroque music. We proudly present The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, Cracow Royal Singers (Poland), Les Musiciens de Mademoiselle de Guise (France),Canzona (United Kingdom), Poul Høxbro and Bolette Roed (Denmark) as well as renowned soloists: Hugo Hymas; tenor, Sreten Manojlović; baritone, Kajsa Dahlbäck; soprano, Anabela Barić; soprano, Helen Charlston; mezzosoprano, harpsichordist Laurence Cummings and conductor and harpsichordist Aapo Häkkinen. These talented foreign artists will be joined by distinguished Croatian ensembles: Vocal Ensemble Antiphonus and the resident ensemble of the festival, The Croatian Baroque Ensemble. Join us at St.Mark’s Cathedral, St. Nicholas and All Saints churches in the town of Korčula or come to Vrnik, Vela Luka, Pupnat, Orebic or Ston.
7. And finally, tell us a little about your love of Korčula, and why it makes for the perfect cultural setting for a baroque festival?
Unquestionable cultural and tourist success of the Korkyra Baroque Festival is founded on superior artistic musical offer, which has been drawing tourists from around the world for years and enriching the tourist cultural offer of the island of Korčula, the peninsula of Pelješac and Dubrovnik. Concerts promote the churches of Korčula as cultural monuments, but also the entire County of Dubrovnik-Neretva as a unique architectural complex.
For me personally, it is an honour to take part and bring baroque music to this beautiful island!
For the full programme of the 2018 Korkyra Baroque Festival, click here.
Check out the atmosphere from a previous festival with the fabulous Moreška sword dancers performing in the video below.
Subscribe to our newsletter
the fields marked with * are requiredRelated posts:
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra Perform ‘Bach and the Baltic’ at Korcula Korkyra Festival
Korkyra Baroque Festival Welcomes Venetian Graces to Korcula’s Arneri Palace Courtyard
A Danish Flavour to the Island of Vrnik and Korkyra Baroque Festival
Korkyra Baroque Festival Continues in Pupnat with Concerto Pastoral
