The Laza Kostic Fund

Laza Kostic and Shakespeare – the strongest connection

There are no better and stronger cultural and artistic ties between Serbia and the United Kingdom than Laza-William. Fund “Laza Kostic” on the occasion of marking the 100 years of the death of a great Serbian poet, organized a celebration “Laza and William – Serbia as an inspiration and Serbia inspired by others”

REPORT: “Laza and William” – EVENT June 2010.   Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in London and the Fund “Laza Kostic” organized in the salon of the Embassy on 18th and 22 June two cultural art events titled “Laza and William – SERBIA AS AN INSPIRATION AND SERBIA inspired by others ”

Within the program, a concert was held, presented a CD which will be released by fund “Laza Kostic” on which eminent British artists will perform the deeds of Serbian authors and deeds of great composers inspired by Serbian poetry. An exhibition of placards “Laza and William” was presented,  made by the assistants at the Academy of Arts ATILA KAPITANJA (which last year, ranked among the 30 best theatre placards in the world) and his class of students at the Art Academy in Novi Sad.

His Excellency, Mr Dejan Popovic, who opened a diplomatic concert on the  22nd June said: “I take this opportunity to thank the Fund” Laza Kostic ” for taking care of cultural heritage, trying to point out that Serbia had its place on the European cultural scene in the 19th century. “Laza and William” EXHIBITION IN THE EMBASSY UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR

Art director and founder of the Fund, pianist Marina Milic-Apostolović, a professor at the Art Academy in Novi Sad, told the audience about the fact that Laza Kostic in 1864 hosted a 300-year anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare in Novi Sad and for that occasion translated two scenes from Richard III. He was the first to translate Shakespeare directly from English into Serbian, by using the iambic verse for the first time. He has written the ode to  Shakespeare in the glory of the English bard. In that way, Novi Sad was the only city in Serbia and abroad who took part in the celebration of the anniversary of Shakespeare throughout Europe. These two scenes of Richard III were  Shakespeare’s first scenes staged in Serbia. They were directed by Laza Kosticas well. With his efforts, promotions and translations of Shakespeare’s deeds, Laza Kostic was the first to open the door to William Shakespeare in Serbia.

 

The opinion of Fund „Laza Kostic“ is that there is no better, and stronger cultural and artistic connection between Serbia and Britain than the one of Laza and William. That is why the Fund initiated an exhibition with the theme: „ Laza and William“, which delighted everyone present at both events and it will stay in the Serbian embassy salon until the end of the year. Mrs. Thelma Holt, the famous producer from Royal Shakespeare company, particularly singled out “ obviously very talented artist Atila Kapitanja, whom she, impressed by his design solution of Hamlet and Richard III, invited to London on working visit.

Jubille compact disk

In the musical part of the program, a disc that will come out at the beginning of July, as one of the main Fund’s projects in this jubilee year, when we mark the 100-year anniversary of the death of Laza Kostic. The Brahms’s and Tchaikovsky’s music, written in the text of Serbian national poetry, as well as the Epistle of love by Ser John Tavener on the texts of medieval and renaissance poetry from Anthology by Predrag Dragica Kijuk, performed by “ the golden soprano voice” Patricia Rozario, as well as the Etudes by Vasilije Mokranjac recorded by Pierce Lane, world-known pianist. That will be the first disc with an integral performance of the entire set of seven etudes by Vasilije Mokranjac. Program on the disc is a compilation of two important projects that the Fund “Laza Kostic” set in the past: British premiere of  Vasilije Mokranjac’s seven etudes in Wigmore Hall in 1999 and the world premiere of the Epistle of love by Sir John Tavener in St John’s Smith Square in 2001, with prominent British artists.

Pierce Lane represents the disc in the Synagogue and in Kolarac 14 December.

Ending the anniversary of Laza’s jubilee year, in the cooperation with the Embassy of Poland, Pierce Lane was invited to present, on two gala concerts, Synagogue in Novi Sad, on 12. December and at the Ilija M. Kolarac foundation on 14th December, the jubilee CD by performing the entire set of seven etudes by Vasilije Mokranjac. Beside this cycle, the 4 Ballads by Frederic Chopin, will be performed as well. In that way, the Embassy of Poland will, officially, mark the year of Chopin in Serbia.

Youth platform

Considering that the mission of the Fund is giving the platform to young talented artist, on the concert, the Serbian rising artists, presented the compositions from this disc: soprano Radoslava Vorgic, this was her first professional performance after the graduation at Art Academy in Novi Sad and she enrolled at the masters studies in Mainz, Germany, as well as the pianist Milan Miladinovic, docent at the Art Academy in Novi Sad, who thrilled the audience during his first performence in Steinway Hall, in London. It has been a revelation for the experts to listen to the songs from Brahms and Tchaikovsky, in the performance by Radoslava Vorgic, on the Serbian language, in original that is, which inspired Brahms to compose the music to the text, at the first place.