Cantus Ensemble – Double Bill

Turning Point Ensemble opens our 24-25 season with two powerful and engaging concerts from Zagreb’s  Cantus Ensemble, one of Europe’s most historic and distinguished new music ensembles. They are led by the acclaimed conductor and composer Berislav Šipuš, whose artistry is already known to our audiences from his superb April 2022 Vancouver TPE concert. 

The two concerts with entirely different repertoire present a fascinating cross-section of Croatian music composed over the past 35 years. Audiences are encouraged to attend both the Saturday evening program and the Sunday afternoon program in order to hear the rich variety of all music presented.   

Highlights from the two concerts of Canadian and World Premieres include the Nonet by Croatia’s most renowned 20th century composer Milko Kelemen, the founder of Music Biennale Zagreb; Solo, a theatrical work by Helena Skljarov for an acting conductor, chess player, and ensemble; Ivana Kis’s Lamentation is when grief pours out, Mladen Tarbuk’s Twist utilizing quartertones, and inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem Ash Wednesday, and a new commission, like a bird with its wings half furled, by Vancouver composer Ramsey Sadaka written especially for the Cantus Ensemble.

This concert is the culmination of a five-year partnership with the Cantus Ensemble which included a performance of Turning Point Ensemble in Zagreb in May 2023, and each artistic director touring to conduct their respective ensembles. Over this multi-stage collaboration, it is clear that the originality and distinctiveness of Croatian contemporary music and culture resonates meaningfully with Canadian musical experience. The two programs are an opportunity to hear a first-rate international ensemble perform compelling music never before played in Canada.

Saturday, October 26 program

Nonet by Milko Kelemen
Iridescent Purple by Tibor Szirovicza
Twist by Mladen Tarbuk
Lamentation by Ivana Kiš
Io sono je t’aime by Frano Đurović
Diptih by Vjekoslav Nježić

Sunday, October 27 program

Ich vergesse dich nicht by Srđan Dedić
Solo by Helena Skljarov
No Music by Krešimir Seletković
Of One Moment of Loneliness by Ante Knešaurek
Butterflies by Olja Jelaska
Like a bird with its wings half furled by Ramsey Sadaka