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August
2002
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Stefan Milenkovic opens the Festival INTERFEST in
Bitola
At the international festival
(10-days) for classic music INTERFEST hundreds of artists will be
presenting modern and classic works of all periods of classical music.
Artists of over 16 countries are expected to perform every year in
August in Bitola for ten days. In 2002 the well-known violinist Stefan
Milenkovic opend the festival INTERFEST 2002. In 2002 the festival
celebrated its 10 year existence.
This year, like the other years before, the festival takes place in
August and will invite all who are interested in classical music and
arts. This is not only an event for Bitola and Macedonia, but also for
all classical music interested in Europe. INTERFEST - a must for
everyone who is interested in classical music.
12th
Interfest-Bitola Classical Music Festival 2003 (1.-12. AUG 2003)
The programme concept of this year’s Interfest-Bitola International
Classical Music Festival which is opening at the Culture centre in
Bitola tomorrow (runs through October 12th) traditionally anticipates
performances of renowned soloists from European cultural centres. After
an introductory address by Vice Minister of Culture Melpomeni Korneti,
the Macedonian Philharmonic will open the festival for the first time
ever with a concert conducted by a US guest, maestro Robert Gooter and
violinist Ayman Musakodzaeva of Kazakhstan, the winner of many awards
who will play a Stradivarius. Besides the Concerto for Violin and
Orchestra by Petar Ilich Tchaikovsky and Sixth Symphony by Antonin
Dvorzak, the opening ceremony programme includes “Heroes of Ilinden,” a
composition by the Macedonian composer Todor Trajcevski that will have
its premiere. “Heroes of Ilinden,” says the author, is based on
Macedonian folk songs and has been written for this year’s Interfest
dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of Ilinden Uprising.
The programme in the next 11 days includes concerts by prominent
musicians in Macedonia, Russia, Slovenia, Norway, Italy, France such as
recitals of a Russian duo, Sergey Sudzolovsky, violoncello and Andrey
Diev, piano; a concert of the Russian pianist Ljubov Timofeeva who will
also perform at the opening ceremony of the new concert season of the
Macedonian Philharmonic on October 2nd; a concert of the Norwegian
pianist Ana Kaasa and Russian Edward Kunts; performance of the Italian
Alterno Duo with 20 century solo songs etc. Certainly, performances by
Macedonian musicians have prominent place in the festival despite its
international character. This year, the audience in Bitola will hear a
concert by the Youth Female Choir within Rustico Choir Studio under the
conductorship of Zapro Zaprov and a concert by Tanec Folk Song and Dance
Ensemble, which will perform at the closing ceremony on October 12th
when the Minister of Culture, Blagoj Stefanovski delivers a closing
address.
Besides music, events taking place within Interfest-Bitola always
include other artistic forms such as a poetry evening, “Macedonian Poets
on Ilinden” where the actors Joana Popovska and Petar Temelkovski will
read excerpts from works by the Macedonian poets Vapcarov, Koneski,
Popovski. In theatre respect, a premiere of “Antigona” by Sophocles
directed by Nikita Milivojevic of Serbia and Montenegro, the production
of the National Theatre in Bitola, will be held on October 11th.
A specific of this year’s festival is an International Piano Competition
on October 3rd. Candidates from Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and
Montenegro, Russia and turkey have applied for the competition so far.
The competition divided in two categories, under 31 pianists and young
pianists, will be evaluated by a seven-member international jury
composed of distinguished international piano professors as well as the
piano professors at the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje, Valeri
Stefanovski and Stela Slejanska. “The awarding fund of this year’s piano
competition (euros 1,500 and 150 are the awards for the two respective
categories together with the opportunity given to the winner of the
first category to have a concert at the next Interfest) has been
provided by our patron Trifun Kostovski, who donated a Besendorfer piano
to the festival last year,” the organizers says. The Macedonian
Philharmonic Orchestra will play on October 9th accompanying the winners
of the competition. ”The performance of the Macedonian Philharmonic will
only add to the significance of Interfest since not every concert can be
accompanied by a Philharmonic Orchestra,” Milica Sperovic Ribarski, the
organizer of the festival together with Kirl Ribarski, says.
The sponsor of this year’s Interfest-Bitola is Macedonian Ministry of
Culture, and Kometal Trade is the general sponsor. |
