Page 411 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2017. Glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti - Musical Migrations: Crossroads of European Musical Diversity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 1
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a serbian composer in france: national identity and cosmopolitanism ...
Belgrade, with at least a basic knowledge of the Byzantine chant tradition,
his hearing in Paris of a recording of the music of an ancient Greek dra-
ma (conductor Grigorio Paniagua) and concerts of Byzantine music per-
formed by Greek choirs, didn’t fall on unprepared ground, but additional-
ly stirred the composer’s imagination. The Liturgy is an austere and intense
work with heterophonic voice leading and sharp vertical harmonies evoca-
tive of the historic depths of the Christian ritual.
Although living in France, Damnianovitch was in constant commu-
nication with his family and friends in Serbia, and could not avoid follow-
ing the events in the whole of Yugoslavia that were announcing not only the
end of communist rule in the country, but also the beginning of the horrific
inter-ethnic wars that would mark the whole last decade of the 20th centu-
ry. A major event in Serbia, in 1989, was the celebration of the 600th anni-
versary of the Kosovo battle with the Ottoman invaders. Damnianovitch’s
reaction was to compose Kosovo for orchestra (1990), being primarily in-
spired by the poetic text about the event, attributed to Prince Stefan Laza-
rević (the early 15th century). The composer based this work of strong tragic
and epic character on ancient Greek and Byzantine modes, wishing to give
it a certain archaic dimension.
Damnianovitch has never abandoned that Orthodox-Christian line
of his creative work, creating, in parallel, works that explore other sound
spaces, often those linked to the cultural heritage of his “second country”,
such as Harpes éoliennes (Aeolian harps) for 7 instruments (1987)18 (in some
points similar to the music of the French spectralists and those of Giacin-
to Scelsi) and Quatre poèmes français (Four French Poems by R. M. Ril-
ke) for voice and piano (2004–2005). Among his religiously inspired works
most worth mentioning are Nativité (Nativity, Roždestvo, 1997–2001), a cy-
cle of songs for a female (or children’s) choir, based on texts from Serbian
non-liturgical spiritual poetry, with the exception of the first song (“Dye-
va dnes”), which is based on a liturgical text written by Roman Melodos
(VIth c.),19 and L’eau et le vin (Water and Wine) for orchestra (2013), in-
spired by the icon “Holy Trinity” by Andrey Rublev, and the fresco “Wed-
ding at Cana” from the Serbian monastery Kalenić. Nativity is a very good
example of Damnianovitch’s successful efforts to express his attitude to-
18 Aeolian Harps was inspired by Gaston Bachelard’s philosophical books, specifically
L’Air et les Songes [Air and Dreams]. The work received an award at the internation-
al “André Jolivet” competition in 1987.
19 Ivana Perković, „Aleksandar Damnjanović: Roždestvo za ženski hor” [Alexandre
Damnianovitch: Nativity for female choir], Novi Zvuk, 22 (2003): 59.
409
Belgrade, with at least a basic knowledge of the Byzantine chant tradition,
his hearing in Paris of a recording of the music of an ancient Greek dra-
ma (conductor Grigorio Paniagua) and concerts of Byzantine music per-
formed by Greek choirs, didn’t fall on unprepared ground, but additional-
ly stirred the composer’s imagination. The Liturgy is an austere and intense
work with heterophonic voice leading and sharp vertical harmonies evoca-
tive of the historic depths of the Christian ritual.
Although living in France, Damnianovitch was in constant commu-
nication with his family and friends in Serbia, and could not avoid follow-
ing the events in the whole of Yugoslavia that were announcing not only the
end of communist rule in the country, but also the beginning of the horrific
inter-ethnic wars that would mark the whole last decade of the 20th centu-
ry. A major event in Serbia, in 1989, was the celebration of the 600th anni-
versary of the Kosovo battle with the Ottoman invaders. Damnianovitch’s
reaction was to compose Kosovo for orchestra (1990), being primarily in-
spired by the poetic text about the event, attributed to Prince Stefan Laza-
rević (the early 15th century). The composer based this work of strong tragic
and epic character on ancient Greek and Byzantine modes, wishing to give
it a certain archaic dimension.
Damnianovitch has never abandoned that Orthodox-Christian line
of his creative work, creating, in parallel, works that explore other sound
spaces, often those linked to the cultural heritage of his “second country”,
such as Harpes éoliennes (Aeolian harps) for 7 instruments (1987)18 (in some
points similar to the music of the French spectralists and those of Giacin-
to Scelsi) and Quatre poèmes français (Four French Poems by R. M. Ril-
ke) for voice and piano (2004–2005). Among his religiously inspired works
most worth mentioning are Nativité (Nativity, Roždestvo, 1997–2001), a cy-
cle of songs for a female (or children’s) choir, based on texts from Serbian
non-liturgical spiritual poetry, with the exception of the first song (“Dye-
va dnes”), which is based on a liturgical text written by Roman Melodos
(VIth c.),19 and L’eau et le vin (Water and Wine) for orchestra (2013), in-
spired by the icon “Holy Trinity” by Andrey Rublev, and the fresco “Wed-
ding at Cana” from the Serbian monastery Kalenić. Nativity is a very good
example of Damnianovitch’s successful efforts to express his attitude to-
18 Aeolian Harps was inspired by Gaston Bachelard’s philosophical books, specifically
L’Air et les Songes [Air and Dreams]. The work received an award at the internation-
al “André Jolivet” competition in 1987.
19 Ivana Perković, „Aleksandar Damnjanović: Roždestvo za ženski hor” [Alexandre
Damnianovitch: Nativity for female choir], Novi Zvuk, 22 (2003): 59.
409
