International festival DAYS OF MUSIC - Herceg Novi, Montenegro 2009 Review of the first part of the festival – by Marija Adamov 


Yet "Days of Music" in Herceg Novi were in its former history counted in the eminent art events of the former Yugoslavia, denoting a renewed, now in international way, celebrate their sixth birthday. Exculpatory in all relevant provisions, ranging from organizational and programmatic, to interpretation, it ambitiously imagined physiognomy, the Festival was once again conceived in July as a place where generations of local musicians confirmed their abilities and achievements, and creative meetings with artists from abroad, share personal experiences and ideas, introducing a variety of schools, directions and styles. In this "composition" is also striving for diversity and specificity, the organizers of Herceg Novi music ceremony, gathered elite names that come from Spain, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Serbia, Czech Republic and Montenegro, thus confirming its international character, but also the shape based on the concept of chamber. Accentuate, therefore, on chamber music, proposed program, a complex of seven concerts, including three duos (two vocal and instrumental, and one instrumental), a string trio, and a recital of two piano quintet, which will be based, as well as residential quartet, string  quartet Virtuoso di Praga, as a part of the orchestra of the same name and purpose, a last year also participated in the exercise of a significant segment of the selected repertoire. Until now, realized festival nights can boast a high level of interpretative, technical and artistic terms, which refers to the creations of artists who have achieved the first of three concerts. That they are held in an atmosphere of inspiration, quality, style and sensibility", as indicated mayor Dejan Mandic, opening the event, has already demonstrated the first program held in a crowded square Mice Pavlovic (authentic space in front of the Church of St. Jerome), where the String Trio Bo Art hosted a pleasant evening, unobtrusive and refined in every respect chamber music performance. Before the performance of this international structure (the Spanish violinist Joaquin Palomares, Italian violinist Duci Belufi and Belgian cellist Hervig Corinne) the festival artistic director, Boris Kraljevic, emphasized to us that these and all the selected musicians will throw a lot of artistic surprises, String Bo Art Trio is anything other than calmness and nothing to distract (despite performing in the open) also showed high professionalism and maturity, without special lecture by external signs, submerge in selected works by Beethoven and Schubert. Destining for  "music for open spaces”, which belong to both of string trio of  Franz Schubert String  and the real "Night Music", Serenade in D major, Opus 8 by Ludwig van Beethoven, these interesting artists of profound sound, stuck to their music lines and expression marks and small displacement from the strict framework of the given sound fine and fitting (in which the role of precious amalgam played exceptionally warm violin tone of Belufy extraordinary instrument), and showed how it looks superb craft associated with areas of pure art, and written in the best sense of light, social music. Vocal and instrumental concert was held the next evening in a very suitable environment of St. Jerome Church in Herceg Novi, offered the audience a different mood and a lot of spiritual settling in temple environment, but more surge emotions in almost perfect match with the Duo, which consists of soprano Nancy Yuen (Hong Kong/United Kingdom) and pianist Boris Kraljevic  (Montenegro/Singapore). The artist of Chinese origin arrived with aura of soprano of international reputation that equally nurtures and operatic and concert repertoire, and in ours successful pianist and pedagogue, unconditionally respected in his hometown of Herceg Novi, welcomed with a new interest in his achievements of sensitive playing a piano. For the first cycles of Mozart, painted accents the dramatic song "Unfortunate love", we were in a real sense of enraptured amazing sound and emotional compliance of two artists who breathe as a one human being, reaffirming what is called – high sensitivity, directness and sophistication of expression. Rounded, resonant,   impeccably clean intonation, very comfortable and nicely colored, and in addition, and in all shades very balanced lyrical voice of Nancy Yuen, shows not the slightest uncertainty in the change of registers. She takes him with, instrumental easiness, just caressing melodic line, at any time in tune with multidimensional designed parts of, with which, by the end of the program, carried an exciting and very expressive dialogue. There were two more songs by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and two beautiful pearls of vocal repositories of Franz Schubert and three works of Richard Strauss, of which the song "Tomorrow" has created a moment like a fairytale vision. Selection for "The lead" for this unique evening of vocal lyric included the delicate world of "Sad song" of Henri Diparka and mirthful, witty picturesque "Elegant ceremony" of Francis Pulanka. Finally, always with appropriate comments and live piano party, which is here characterized refined painting skills appropriate atmosphere and momentary definition of the character and mood, Nancy Yuen was also evoking her national heritage, introducing us with three Chinese songs with high demands for completion of the parts for the piano. After this remarkable accordance of two musicians who meet as fellow teachers, "Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts" in Singapore, the third night of the festival gave us another extraordinary experience that again in a crowded square Mice Pavlovic, hosted one of the youngest and most participants in this year's "Days of Music", 24 year old virtuoso on the accordion, Russian Semyon Smeljkov. Offering a substantial repertoire of specific gravity and diversity, which is expected with the attributes of fresh frolic temperament, and high musicality, from the beginning the recital was noble, excellent grip and stance, with respect lavish "of orchestra" scores (without excessive doses of theatricality), the young artist immediately gives is showing us knowledge of all the great complexity of expressive ability of his instrument. Starting with two contemporary and very demanding, originally written for the harmonica part (by authors Roman Ledenov and Olga Cistohina), Smeljkov confirms that today the media all feasible and possible, and judging by the enthusiastically received, but the start and win the biggest skeptics. Playing technically fascinating and sovereign, he set up, particularly from the third paragraph composed for him, "Byzantine  Sonata" 26 years old Olga Cistohina, one full communication with the audience and the exchange of creative energy, which as of the beginning was not even the primary goal of the artist. After all, everything was succeed by big applause and the model really stunning virtuosity of perfect fingers and master ruling, who led the audience through professionally processed compositions of different authors, mainly by the script of Semyon Smeljkov (Scarlatti, Zolotarjov, Ljadov, Moscow and Liszt). Increased tension and excitement of the audience, culminating in the brilliant accessories program (Cernikov and Zebicki) derived very severe, but strictly controlled temperament, which is also received with special respect. This extraordinary dedication and playing on the festival,  are promising that other concerts on the set of distinguished artists in the second part of the event, to enable all interested natives and arriving guests to share them with rare moments of summer relaxation break between seasons, new disks and engagement, and moments of high art lectures.