On Thursday, 28 September, the audience in Cetinje will have the opportunity to hear, for the first time, musical pieces that are part of the National Museum collection, composed by European composers and inspired by 19th century Montenegro.
Composers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Italy, and France have composed pieces, dedicated to Montenegro or members of the royal family, for various musical ensembles. The concert will feature the premiere of Danilo’s Waltz, the composition “King of Montenegro,” and a composition dedicated to Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena of Italy.
The orchestra, consisting of students from the Music Academy in Cetinje and members of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, will perform at 20:00 at the Government House.
Not only do these exhibits have artistic value as musical compositions from the Romantic period, but they also have historical significance since they represent the cultural heritage of Montenegro and the countries from which they originate. These musical scores were used in the cultural diplomacy of Europe, and the audience will have the opportunity to view them in the days following the concert at the museum’s foyer.
The concert and the exhibition are part of the project “European Music of Montenegrin Cultural Diplomacy,” organised by the Creative Women of Montenegro Foundation with the aim of revitalising the European-Montenegrin music and cultural heritage. Additionally, it addresses the issue of the lack of research on the mentioned topic and the revival of Montenegro’s cultural diplomacy. The project is implemented within the ReLOaD2 programme, funded by the European Union, and implemented by the UNDP in cooperation with local self-governments, including the Royal Capital of Cetinje.
In addition to music, the project will revive photographs and recordings resulting from the rich cultural diplomacy Montenegro had in the previous century, which are now the cultural heritage of the state.
The orchestral performance will be accompanied by a video collage composed of little-known short videos and photographs from diplomatic events at the court during the Kingdom of Montenegro.
Thanks to the partnership with the National Museum and the Montenegrin Cinematheque, this short video, which has not been shown before to the Montenegrin public, will be presented on Thursday.
The audience can expect a similar event in the Capital city soon.
