Written by : Marko Stanojkovski
”How happy I am to be able to wander among bushes and herbs, under trees and over rocks; no man can love the country as I love it. Woods, trees, and rocks send back the echoes that man desires.”
Ludwig Van Beethoven
The atmosphere of Ivanova Korita, an idyllic Lovćen valley beneath Štirovnik and Njegoš Mausoleum, is intensified and emphasized by an unobtrusive yet distinct collage of sounds from diverse instruments, which seem to engage in deep and complex interactions. This polyphonic instrumental, rich in melodies from classical compositions, fills the wooded and vivid landscape with magnetism that leaves a noticeable effect on all visitors. Those more attentive and, potentially, more musically educated, will recognize sounds of a broad palette of string, wind, and other instruments in that mixture of tones; some of the instruments that can be identified are: the violin, the cello, the double bass, the piano, the clarinet, the saxophone, the flute, the oboe, and the accordion. An attempt to discover the source of this fusion of musical “colors and shades” which comes from nearby objects leads to the realization that they are related to the Summer Camp for Chamber Music, dedicated primarily to young musicians, the ones behind this euphonic soundtrack.
The fourteenth edition of this cultural event, like previous years, was held right there, in the environment towered by Jezerski Vrh from July 30 to August 8. The person who deserves the most credit for the realization of this project is Maja Popović, the editor of the music programme in the Cultural Information Center Budo Tomović. Students, numbering forty this year, are primarily high school and university students, young musicians from the country, the region, and the world. Some of them, even though at the beginning of their music paths, already have formidable attainments. During the camp, through dedicated work on the preparing the selected pieces of classical music during the rehearsals, as well as continuous practice between them, they prepared for the final concerts, which were performed in Cetinje and Podgorica. The classes and the rehearsals were held in three locations of Lovćen-Bečići namely in the recreative-educational center Lovćen, the outbuilding Palac and the Ivanov Konak hotel. Every year, during the camp, their rooms are adapted into practicing chambers and adjusted to the needs of the participants, lending a specific charm and a noticeable lure to these spaces, which are filled with melodies, harmonies, and vibrations during the rehearsals, as well as revitalized in a new way and refined with freshness, warmth, and energy.
The six mentors, from whom the students learned and with whom they worked in the rehearsals, are renowned musicians with impressive careers rich in successes. Among them are: the maestro Sreten Krstić, a violinist and a founder of such ensembles as the Philharmonic Sextet, Gasteig Trio München, and the Philharmonic Soloists Chamber Orchestra, who, in addition to being the concertmaster of the Munich Philharmonic, getting that position in 1980, has been a concertmaster of the chamber orchestra Zagreb Soloists since 2011, and he also had that position in the World Youth Orchestra; Ivana Dakić, an oboist and professor in a music school, as well as at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, who is a member of such ensembles as the trio Femina, the RTS Woodwind Quintet, the Da Capo Duo, as well as the Kotor Art Quintet, and she has also collaborated with the RTS Symphony Orchestra, the National Theater Opera, the Belgrade Philharmonic, and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra; Sofiko Tchetchelashvili, a violinist who was a teaching assistant and the concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra at the Baylor University, and who has been teaching viola at the Northwestern State University of Louisiana since 2016; Andrej Kurti-Đurović, a violin professor at the Nortwestern State University of Louisiana, and a violinist who has, in addition to performing in Carnegie Hall in 2011, and in Nashville with great rock musicians such as Brian May (The Queen), Joe Walsh (The Eagles), and Sammy Hagar (Van Halen) in 2019, recorded and published “24 Caprices for Solo Violin” by Niccolò Paganini (2021), Bach’s six “Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin” (2014), as well as “Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, op. 27” by Eugène Ysaÿe, thus completing the trilogy of the most important and most challenging pieces for the solo violin, which makes him one of the rare violinists who have recorded and published all the aforementioned compositions; Dmitrii Prokofiev, a cellist who, in collaboration with Aleksey Nasedkin, a pianist and professor at the Moscow Conservatory, released his first CD, which contains sonatas for cello and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich and Edvard Grieg, when he was sixteen, and whose career consists of such accomplishments as the position of the first cellist in the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, the position of a cello instructor at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, as well as, for a time, at the Music Academy of the University of Montenegro, in addition to playing in the State Chamber Orchestra of Russia Moscow Virtuosi since 2000, while being a member of the homonymous quintet since 2003; and Veljko Klenkovski, a clarinetist and professor of clarinet at the Faculty of Music, a founder and member of the Belgrade Wind Trio and the Wind Quintet of the Belgrade Philharmonic, who is currently on the position of the first clarinetist of the National Theater’s Opera Orchestra, as well as of the Belgrade Philharmonic, and who has performed as a soloist with, among others, the Philharmonie der Nationen of Germany, the RTS Orchestra, the Royal Orchestra of Brussels, and the Niš Symphony Orchestra.
This camp has been attracting new students for years, and many return year after year. Vladimir Stanišić, a clarinetist who was a student of the camp for the first time in 2019, is one of them. In the meantime, he completed his MA studies in clarinet at the Faculty of Music in 2021, and, the same year, he secured the position of professor of clarinet at the Belgrade based Vatroslav Lisinski music school. In addition to being an honorary associate of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Stanišić has performed in such orchestras as the Belgrade Symphony, Camerata Serbica, and Makris.
He remembers his first stay at this camp and things he experienced then, making a parallel with this year’s edition. The musician says that he found out about the camp from Professor Klenkovski, who told him that the camp is dedicated to chamber music, with which he is, in addition to pedagogy, mostly occupied even six years later. Stanišić emphasizes that, although a professor, he continues to play and frequently perform in chamber ensembles, being a member of the duo Maggiore, and the MONK Ensemble. He points out that chamber music is an ideal meeting point, as it lies between the soloist and the orchestra. The clarinetist explains that these three categories differ quite significantly from each other, although there are elements that are mutual. That was the reason he decided to apply for the camp in 2019, which seemed to him like a place where he could both learn a lot and work with dedication. He applied with his friend Petra Lekić, a flutist. At the camp, he played music by Claude Debussy alongside fellow clarinetists, feeling very happy because of new acquaintances, reunions with older friends, and the opportunity to play. Stanišić also adds that, once he arrived at Ivanova Korita, he realized how intensely and seriously musicians work at the camp. He says that he had the same experience this year. He worked on no less than four compositions, among which are Weber’s “Clarinet Quintet”, and “Promenade (Walking the Dog)” by George Gershwin, a piece composed for the film “Shall We Dance”, enjoying collaboration with his colleagues.
Additionally, some musicians have already served as mentors for the camp for two or more years. Professor Dakić, who was a mentor at the camp last year, as well, says that, as its greatest significance, she sees the opportunity for students to play music together, to meet each other, and to find out what it is like to play in an ensemble which does not only include the piano and their instrument, but encompasses three, four, five or more musicians.
Additionally, she also expresses contentment with the choice of this ambience as a venue for the camp, pointing out that it is very positive for the students, because they are, as she says, “focused exclusively on playing music, naturally, there is the hanging out, but definitely playing music, improving, which can be observed in the case of every student, from the first to the last rehearsal.”
Thus, the professor emphasizes that the concept of the camp is exceptional, because the students, as she states, “don’t have those outside stimuli, the temptations of big cities.” She concludes that, in addition to the aforementioned focus on music, nature plays an important role, and she points out their privilege to work with extraordinary mentors. She notes that these opportunities can contribute to young musician becoming not just better soloists, but better chamber musicians, and, depending on the instrument they play, orchestral musicians.
Daria Ilić, a student from Herceg Novi who participated in the camp for the first time this year, attends music school in Tivat. This young violinist, who performed Corelli’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor, Op. 5, No. 8” in Cetinje, said that she discovered the camp through social media. “I expected to improve my techniques, and to meet new friends. But we are primarily here because of music,” she points out, while talking about the expectations with which she came to the camp. She admits that she feared she would not fit in, but reveals that she managed to do so, to her great satisfaction. She also emphasizes the significance of mentors who, as she says, pass on knowledge, and are very patient and inspiring. The young student also points out how inspiring the ambience is, because, as she says “it is easier to work in nature.”
Maestro Krstić, who has been a mentor for the past few years, also emphasizes the importance of the working process at the camp, including practicing acquiring knowledge in chamber music. He sees the purpose of all of that precisely in teaching the students how to play, to listen to each other, as well as in the collective playing of music, also pointed out by professor Dakić. The violinist admits that it is something he personally enjoys, which is why keeps coming back to this camp. He gladly accepts being a mentor at the camp again because he believes he has something to share and pass on to the students, hoping it will mean something to them. He does not hide his delight with the place where the camp takes place. “When I first came here, I was completely taken aback by the beauty of everything here. To me, personally, it’s wonderful,” adds Krstić, pointing out that the whole area is, as he says, “heavenly”.
Stanišić also believes that the camp’s location is the ideal choice for this type of activity. Accordingly, he briefly explains why he thinks these two aspects —namely, the work and classes on one side, and the selection of exactly this place on the other —are perhaps the most significant elements of the camp at Ivanova Korita.
He points out the organizer’s effort to bring renowned and dedicated mentors, similar to previous years. Also, he notes that the camp encompasses seven active days of dedicated work. “Having time to process everything is very inspiring, you don’t have to rush anything. Seven days of intensive work, plus the additional days of performances,” he adds. He says that there is enough room for relaxed, deep, and casual work which provides ample time for exploring all the details in every piece.
On the other hand, he states that this is the right place for work, pointing out that it looks like something out of a fairy tale. “Additionally, the weather in Ivanova Korita is perfect during the summer,” according to him. He also expresses his satisfaction with the food and accommodation at the camp.
As another advantage of this camp, Professor Dakić notes that students become acquainted with compositions they would not have the opportunity to play at universities or schools.
“Specifically, I’m working with an ensemble consisting of five flutes; we are performing a fantastic composition by Faruk Mehić. The girls encountered this composition for the first time, and they were delighted from the first rehearsal to the last. And Bedford, who is performed here for the first time. The girls did not even know who the composer was, so I asked them to research him, to find out what it is, who it is, to concern themselves with that,” the musician recounts.
She wanted them to find out, as she explains, “if the composer is from the period of Classicism, Romanticism, or if he is a contemporary composer.” She concludes by saying that the students researched the biography of David Bedford until the next rehearsal, and, in the next class, they told her, as she states, “all about him.” She points out that they came to that rehearsal, as she says, “all happy and proud that they have learned something new.”
The final concerts were held in the old royal capital (on August 7) and in the capital city of Montenegro (on August 8), with 25 ensembles performing. In addition to those already mentioned, among the compositions performed were: the first movement of Vivaldi’s “Concerto for Oboe and Strings in D minor”, the first movement of Brahms’s “Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8”, the first movement of Mendelssohn’s “String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 1”, the first movement of Bach’s “Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043”, the second movement of Ravel’s “String Quartet”, the first movement of Bruch’s “Octet in B major Op. posth.”, Mozart’s “Sonata KV for Violin and Piano 304 in E minor”, and the first movement of his “Divertimento in D major”, as well as “Balkan Tango” by Dražan Kosorić, a composer and professor at the Music Academy in Istočno Sarajevo, who was also a guest composer of this year’s camp.
Stanišić highlights the great significance of these two performances as the culmination of the camp, which offers the opportunity to showcase the results of continuous and intensive practice and work during the camp’s duration. “Without these concerts at the end, the significance of the whole camp is halved. The work is one thing, but preparing to perform it somewhere, in front of someone, is a totally new instance which we have to follow,” he clarifies. The musician thinks it is excellent that, every year, the organizer of the camp manages to find halls for the performances, schedule concerts, and make them happen, and not just one, but two, and, at that, as he states “in big towns and important towns, namely in Cetinje and in Podgorica.” He says that although, during that performance, maybe someone will not manage to prove themselves and play all they have mastered fully, they will still practice diligently, preparing for that concert, and will, in any case, be able to stand in front of the audience, relax, and show what they have been working on. He emphasizes that these performances, as he says, “should be an opportunity to express that moment which has, at this place, during all these days, actually tried to become assembled into one whole and to grow.”
Professor Dakić agrees regarding the importance of these performances. „It is the crowning moment of this whole camp, students showing effort, showing what they have learned, and they learned a lot,“ she points out. She adds that only those mentors who attended both the first and the last classes know how significant the progress of the students is. According to her, the final concerts are like “…a dessert at the end of lunch. You have earned it, you have a sweet tooth, and now you have finished the whole meal, and you get a dessert at the end. Well, that is their dessert.”
Ilić, too, says that these concerts are essential because, in that moment, the artist is obligated to do their work as best as they can, not thinking about previous failures or mistakes, but focusing on the piece they are playing, not on the audience. She believes that public performances instill the confidence needed to do the job right and without stage fright, because, as she says, the profession of a musician involves performing in everyday concerts. “In that moment we just need to feel that music, and to be in that moment of music, and to forget the existence of any audience,” adds the student, talking about the very act and the moment of performance.
Maestro Krstić points out that, for musicians, every concert is of utmost importance.
“Those five or ten minutes are what we, in fact, study and prepare ourselves for our whole life, leastways, for those five minutes when one gets on stage and starts, when a performance starts, until the end,” the violinist clarifies. He adds that there is no room for repeating, pausing, and correction, and that performers, in front of an audience, present what they have mastered without stopping. Krstić emphasizes that it is precisely the crucial moment for every musician, regardless of age, himself included.
“And that is why all these concerts here are important, despite it not being Carnegie Hall, it does not matter. But what matters is that the audience is seated, that you are getting on stage, and that you know you have to play from beginning to end. That is what is expected, and now you must provide it and demonstrate what you have learned. In that sense, those concerts are most important,” he notes.
While the fourteenth edition of the camp was entering its final stage, with participants working on the last preparations for the concerts, discussions had already begun about plans for its next, fifteenth edition and what it could bring. In that sense, the students and the mentors have invited all those interested in the camp to apply.
Stanišić points out that benefits this camp offers – the opportunity to work and connect with new people are incentives for potential students to apply. He claims that this is what is essential in the evolution of every musician, whether they are in high school, at the conservatory or if it is as in his case, someone who has already left school but still pursues new improvements. He adds that students can also come with their ensemble or, at the very least, with a friend or someone else.
„It is not even only about playing, you can attend the classes of others, observe what is going on, get maximally inspired in contact with other people,“ the clarinetist points out.
Professor Dakić, who considers that every knowledge young people acquire both at this camp and elsewhere is very important, says that no matter where she teaches, she suggests that high school and university students apply. She notes that what makes this camp stand out from other master classes is its location, as here the students are focused on music and work with exceptional mentors. She stresses that they should continue to apply and think about how they can improve, adding that it is a universal piece of advice for every young person.
Ilić, who says that she leaves camp with very fond memories, as well as with a lot of knowledge regarding playing and technique, admits she would gladly return. Additionally, she encourages her colleagues to apply without fear, to pay attention to what the mentors are telling them, and to work on the areas the professors pointed out during class, as this is the way for them to improve.
Maestro Krstić also says that he would highly recommend to potential students to apply. He notes that there is no shortage of courses, especially during the summer, with extraordinary instructors, and that one should apply everywhere possible. He expresses hope that he and other mentors have something to share with young people who come to the camp, which will be sufficiently engaging for them to be interested in returning.
“If they come, they can expect to learn something, and I think that they will have a good time,” concludes Krstić.
Photos: Media Biro and Igor Rudovic