CROATIA: PagArtFestival

PagArtFestival was founded in 1999 and it has already become a tradition to have it opened by Lovro’s recital. Lovro traces his origin to Pag, and the Festival originated out of his wish to help and dignify life of the town of Pag by meaningful companionship of quality through various projects. The town of Pag is a small renaissance town made of stone, a zoning unicum well known not only by the famous lace and cheese, but also by the tradition of cultural events. Pag has five churches, among which the Church of St. Francis is the Festival’s main stage with wonderful acoustics, as much as the beautiful St. Mary’s Church in the Old Town of Pag.

The Festival realises a high level diverse arts programme. Among the performers were Russian pianists Andrei Gavrilov and Konstantin Bogino, Eugen Indjic (France, SAD), opera star Dunja Vejzović (Croatia), guitarists Aniello Desiderio (Italy), Zoran Dukić (Croatia), Petrit Çeku (Kosovo/Croatia) and Krešimir Bedek (Croatia), lutenist Edin Karamazov (BiH/Croatia), Piano Trio Tchaikovsky (Russia-France-Great Britain), Brahms Trio Moscow, string quartets Shostakovich (Russia) and Fine Arts and Meridian (USA), Tartini Quartet (Slovenia), violinists Grigory Zhislin (Russia/ Germany), Stefan Milenkovich (Serbia/Italy), Nikita Borisoglebsky (Russia) and Ilja Grubert (Nederland), cellist Monika Leskovar (Croatia), Rodoevre Percussions Copenhagen, ZUM Quintet (GB), Cappella Istropolitana (Czech Republic), but also some young artists and numerous amateur ensembles from Pag itself.

Among them, the Company which performs the traditional folk play Paška robinja (The Slave from Pag), a symbolic representation of the eternal desire of Croatian people for freedom and independence, deserves to be mentioned. Among the exhibitions were: Paška čipka (The Lace from Pag, Etnographic Museum Zagreb, produced by architect Nenad Fabijanić), Svitlošnji put (The Path of Light, photographs by Mio Vesović/MO), Briju(o)ni (photographs by Damir Fabijanić), acrylics by Dino Trtovac and gouache painting by the bard of Croatian visual arts, late Edo Murtić. , In 2008, the Festival promoted monodrama The State of Nation by a great Croatian artist Filip Šovagović, who has shot a documentary film that summer of Lovro Pogorelić’s concert in St. Mary’s Church in the Old Town of Pag. The film called The Concert was shown in 2009 in the same place. Some concerts were held along with the reading of poetry, by Natalia Vorobjova Hržić (Russia/Croatia), Niels Hav (Denmark) and a famous Croatian poet Luko Paljetak.

 The program of this year:

July 31st - Bojana Gregorić Vejzović, narrator, and Danijel Detoni, piano, concert in St. Francis’ Church in Pag at 9 p.m.

August, 1st - Bojana Gregorić Vejzović, narrator, and Danijel Detoni, piano, concert at Olive Gardens of Lun at 9.p.m.

August, 3rd - Lovro Pogorelich piano, concert in St. Francis’ Church in Pag at 9 p.m.

August, 4th - Lovro Pogorelich piano, concert at Olive Gardens of Lun at 9 p.m.

August, 7th - Petrit Çeku guitar, (Kosovo/Croatia), concert in St. Luc’s Church in Kolan at 9 p.m.

August, 8th - Petrit Çeku guitar, concert in the Old Town of Pag at 9 p.m.

August, 9th - Petrit Çeku guitar, concert at Olive Gardens of Lun at 9 p.m.

August , 12th - Andreas Lend, cello and Irina Zaharenkova, piano (Estonia), concert in St. Francis’ Church in Pag at 9 p.m.

August , 17th - PagArtFestival presents young musician:; Vedran Janjanin, piano, concert in St. Francis’ Church in Pag at 9 p.m

 For further information (click on the link):

PagArtFestival

 Photo credits:

The cover photo and all other written/graphic/pictorial stuff belong to PagArtFestival