Celebrating Josip Štolcer Slavenski

Avantgarde composer, forever enamoured with the Balkans

For the last five years, graphic designer Aleksandar Todorović has been researching the life and work of Josip Štolcer Slavenski, one of the most important and original Yugoslav avant-garde composers of the 20ieth century.

The current perception of Slavenski’s impressive work by the successor states of the former Yugoslavia fascinates Aleksandar and spurs his research. Where other nations would praise a master artist like Slavenski, little attention is paid to him in Ex-Yu countries, where he is hardly known by anyone.

123 Sla Ven Ski, Ostavinska, Belgrade, 2019

Slavenski left an extensive opus behind which includes all the genres except opera and ballet. His most notable performances include orchestral works such as Balkanophonia (1927), Chaos (1932), Sinfonia Orienta (1934), Four Balkan Games (1938), Symphony Epos (1941-1945), Songs of my Mother (1944), Slavic sonata (1924), From the village (1925), Sonata religiosa (1925), as well as many other achievements for various instrumental and volleys.

After his death in 1955 there were attempts to revive his work, but they never reached the level Slavenski deserved. Most of these remained on a local level. With the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Slavenski was eventually forgotten, if not consciously ignored.

Because a man born in today's Croatia, who supported the empantipation and unification of the South Slav peoples in the beginning of the 20ieth century, who spent most of his life in today's Serbia, did not fit into the concept of the newly formed states.

This dilemma of the forgotten maestro piqued Aleksandar’s interest all the more.

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Aleksandar began his research work in 2015 in Slavenski’s hometown of Čakovec, where he got access to a considerable collection of Slavenski’s work at Međimurje County Museum. He later got in touch with SOKOJ, the Serbian Music Association in Belgrade, which keeps and administers Slavenski’s entire legacy. He decided to organize an event every year for Slavenski’s birthday on May 11th.

Be it an exhibition, workshop, concert or online presentation, every year Aleksandar takes a new approach with the aim of showing a work on that date that was inspired by Slavenski.

Accordingly, it is important to me to involve people from the fields of art and music in the project. To me it is essential to collaborate with museums, music schools, musicians, other events, musicologists, galleries and artists.

List of previous collaborators, participants, helpers, supporters, etc.:

Maša Hrustek Sobočan, Ana Kotevska, Stefan Jovanović, Marija Knežević, Ivana Vukobrad, Marià …, Susanna Hofer, Collective Petar Drapšin, Palmas Galerija, Rea Terzin, Ostavinska Galerija Beograd, Luka Knežević Strika, Međimurje County Museum, Serbian Music Author’s Organisation (SOKOJ), Galerie Neun Görlitz, Jana Lübeck, Romy Schmidt, This is Badland Magazine, …

Celebrating Josip Štolcer Slavenski

Avantgarde composer, forever enamoured with the Balkans

After his death in 1955 there were attempts to revive his work, but they never reached the level Slavenski deserved. Most of these remained on a local level. With the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Slavenski was eventually forgotten, if not consciously ignored.

Because a man born in today's Croatia, who supported the empantipation and unification of the South Slav peoples in the beginning of the 20ieth century, who spent most of his life in today's Serbia, did not fit into the concept of the newly formed states.

This dilemma of the forgotten maestro piqued Aleksandar’s interest all the more.

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Be it an exhibition, workshop, concert or online presentation, every year Aleksandar takes a new approach with the aim of showing a work on that date that was inspired by Slavenski.

Accordingly, it is important to me to involve people from the fields of art and music in the project. To me it is essential to collaborate with museums, music schools, musicians, other events, musicologists, galleries and artists.

List of previous collaborators, participants, helpers, supporters, etc.:

Maša Hrustek Sobočan, Ana Kotevska, Stefan Jovanović, Marija Knežević, Ivana Vukobrad, Marià …, Susanna Hofer, Collective Petar Drapšin, Palmas Galerija, Rea Terzin, Ostavinska Galerija Beograd, Luka Knežević Strika, Međimurje County Museum, Serbian Music Author’s Organisation (SOKOJ), Galerie Neun Görlitz, Jana Lübeck, Romy Schmidt, This is Badland Magazine, …

Avantgarde com­po­ser, for­ever en­amoured with the Balkans

123 Sla Ven Ski, Ostavinska, Belgrade, 2019

After his death in 1955 there were attempts to revive his work, but they never reached the level Slavenski deserved. Most of these remained on a local level. With the bloody dis­in­te­gra­tion of Yugo­slavia in the 1990s, Slavenski was even­­tually for­gotten, if not con­sciously ignored.

Because a man born in today's Croatia, who supported the empan­ti­pation and uni­fi­cation of the South Slav peoples in the begin­ning of the 20ieth century, who spent most of his life in today's Serbia, did not fit into the con­cept of the newly formed states.

This dilemma of the forgotten maestro piqued Aleksandar’s interest all the more.

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Be it an exhibition, wor­kshop, concert or online pre­sen­tation, every year Alek­sandar takes a new approach with the aim of show­ing a work on that date that was in­spired by Slavenski.

Accordingly, it is im­por­tant to me to in­volve people from the fields of art and music in the project. To me it is essen­tial to colla­bo­rate with museums, music schools, musi­cians, other events, musi­co­lo­gists, galle­ries and ar­tists.

Avantgarde com­po­ser, for­ever en­amoured with the Balkans

After his death in 1955 there were attempts to revive his work, but they never reached the level Slavenski deserved. Most of these remained on a local level. With the bloody dis­in­te­gra­tion of Yugo­slavia in the 1990s, Slavenski was even­­tually for­gotten, if not con­sciously ignored.

Because a man born in today's Croatia, who supported the empan­ti­pation and uni­fi­cation of the South Slav peoples in the begin­ning of the 20ieth century, who spent most of his life in today's Serbia, did not fit into the con­cept of the newly formed states.

This dilemma of the forgotten maestro piqued Aleksandar’s interest all the more.

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Celebrating Slavenski’s 123rd birthday at Ostavisnka Gallery, Belgrade, 2019

Be it an exhibition, wor­kshop, concert or online pre­sen­tation, every year Alek­sandar takes a new approach with the aim of show­ing a work on that date that was in­spired by Slavenski.

Accordingly, it is im­por­tant to me to in­volve people from the fields of art and music in the project. To me it is essen­tial to colla­bo­rate with museums, music schools, musi­cians, other events, musi­co­lo­gists, galle­ries and ar­tists.

Avantgarde composer, forever enamoured with the Balkans

After his death in 1955 there were attempts to revive his work, but they never reached the level Slavenski deserved. Most of these remained on a local level. With the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Slavenski was eventually forgotten, if not consciously ignored.

Because a man born in today's Croatia, who supported the empantipation and unification of the South Slav peoples in the beginning of the 20ieth century, who spent most of his life in today's Serbia, did not fit into the concept of the newly formed states.

Be it an exhibition, workshop, concert or online presentation, every year Aleksandar takes a new approach with the aim of showing a work on that date that was inspired by Slavenski.

Accordingly, it is important to me to involve people from the fields of art and music in the project. To me it is essential to collaborate with museums, music schools, musicians, other events, musicologists, galleries and artists.

Avantgarde composer, forever enamoured with the Balkans

After his death in 1955 there were attempts to revive his work, but they never reached the level Slavenski deserved. Most of these remained on a local level. With the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Slavenski was eventually forgotten, if not consciously ignored.

Because a man born in today's Croatia, who supported the empantipation and unification of the South Slav peoples in the beginning of the 20ieth century, who spent most of his life in today's Serbia, did not fit into the concept of the newly formed states.

Be it an exhibition, workshop, concert or online presentation, every year Aleksandar takes a new approach with the aim of showing a work on that date that was inspired by Slavenski.

Accordingly, it is important to me to involve people from the fields of art and music in the project. To me it is essential to collaborate with museums, music schools, musicians, other events, musicologists, galleries and artists.