UMS Concert Program, March 13, 1988: Belgrade State Folk Ensemble --

Season: 109th
Concert: Thirty-sixth
Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Belgrade State Folk Ensemble
George Milutinovic, General Director Zivojin Petrovic, Assistant Director Vladeta Vlahovic, Choreographer Milovan Pancic, Conductor
Sunday Evening, March 13, 1988, at 8:00 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
PROGRAM Songs and Dances from Serbia Oj Moravo
Musical arrangement: Milovan Pancic
This nostalgic song depicts the beautiful nature of the Morava River that flows through Sumadija, the central part of Serbia.
OjJelo,Jelena
Musical arrangement: Milovan Pancic; Choreography: Vladeta Vlahovic
The verses of this song glorify the most beautiful girl in the village, with whom all the young men arc in love.
Dances from Sumadija and Ponisaulje
Notable for the exceptional variety of rhythmic steps and dance forms it presents, the( choreography of this treasury of folk dances recreates the different folk traditions of central and southern Serbia. The dances arc:
Igralc sc delijc Orijcnt
Stara Planina Cacak
The last, Cacak, is one of the most popular dances of this area of Yugoslavia and is noted for the beauty and richness of detail of the costumes.
Cujes seko
Musical arrangement: Milovan Pancic A humorous song sung by the young men while courting girls at village gatherings.
Trojanka
Musical arrangement: Milovan Pancic
The chorus sings about the story of a young girl who, far from the eyes of her suspicious parents, goes off to the well for water, knowing that her beloved waits for her there.
Cameras and recording devices arc not allowed in the auditorium. Thirty-sixth Concert of the 109th Season Seventeenth Annual Choice Scries
Dances from Slovenia Musical arrangement: Milutin Popovic; Choreography: Iko Otkrin
The choreography here portrays scenes from a local Slovenian village dance. A typical polka dominates, but there are many interesting variations that arc characteristic of the folklore of this region. The suite ends with a humorous dance that is similar to the American children's game: Musical Chairs. Toward the end, all attention becomes focused on which boy will be left without a partner and made to dance with an ordinary broom.
Dances from Slauonija and Posavina in Croatia Musical arrangement: Milutin Popovic; Choreography: Draogomir Vukovic
These dances depict the cheerful and passionate nature of the inhabitants in this region. They are happy dances, full of lively improvisations created spontaneously by the dancers who wear richly embroidered costumes.
Dances from Vranje Musical arrangement: Milutin Popovic; Choreography: Vladcta Vlahovic
The town of Vranje, situated in southeastern Serbia, is noted for its double-shuttered homes with small wooden side gates and blooming gardens, illustrating a strong Oriental influence. This influence is also reflected in the dances and songs of the region. The unrestrained temperament of the people, urged on by the sounds of the tambourines and clarinets, fills the neighborhoods of the town with boundless passion during village celebrations.
Songs from Serbia, Macedonia, and Vojvodina Musical arrangement: Milovan Popovic; Choreography: Vladcta Vlahovic
Oj Devojce Pirocance
A young girl proudly goes out for an evening promenade, wearing all the beautiful things that her fiance has bought for her.
Vrti Kolo
This is a cheerful singing competition between the young men and girls while they dance with each other.
U Novom Sadu
Good wine, spirited music, a beautiful girl: this is the good life that keeps a young man home in Novi Sad, a town in Vojvodina.
Posla Moma Na Voda
A young maid offers a lad a drink of cold water, but he refuses. He drinks nothing but wine.
Maloja, Malo Ti
This humorous song tells how little is necessary for two people to get along with each other.
Leno Magdeleno
This is the story of a young man hopelessly in love who, upon seeing Lena, forgets the time and where he was going.
Dances from Vojvodina (Bunjevke) Musical arrangement: Pctarjosimovic; Choreography: Vladcta Vlahovic
These dances arc characteristic of the folk gatherings in the northern parts of Vojvodina, in celebration of a good crop and a bountiful harvest. While the posture of the girls is calm and dignified, the male dancers are lively and boldly attractive. A special characteristic of the musical accompaniment comes from the rhythmic clatter of the spurs the young men wear on their boots.
INTERMISSION
Osogovka -Macedonian Dance Musical arrangement: Milutin Popovic; Choreography: Dmitar Alcksov
This dance is performed at large folk gatherings in the villages at the foothills of the mountain Osogovo. Groups of dancers from various villages compete in speed and virtuosity until finally they all join in dancing together. The virtuosic movements here require dancers who possess great flair and a highly developed dance technique.
Dances from Eastern Macedonia Musical arrangement: Rastko Pavlovic; Choreography: Dmitar Alcksov
The occupations of this region include husbandry and the raising of livestock. In spite of this very hard work, the people are known for their cheerfulness of spirit. Exuberant singing and dancing seem to burst forth in every free moment: such is the nature of the Dance of the Shepherds. These very dynamic dances include certain symbolic gestures through which the dancers describe their everyday labors.
Lindjo Song from Dubrovnik
The singers in this cheerful song imitate the sound of the lijerica (a characteristic instrument of this region) and promise each other they'll drink wine all night without getting drunk.
Lindjo Dance
Musical soloist: Zlatko Zunic; Choreography: Brakslav Grbic
The Lindjo is a lively couple dance, indigenous to the region around Dubrovnik and the southern part of Herzegovina. It is performed with unrestrained enthusiasm during the execu?tion of the various changing dance patterns. These patterns, or figures, arc spontaneously "called" by a male caller in a manner very similar to that of American square dancing. Lindjo is accompanied throughout by the lijerica.
Songs from Macedonia
Rum dnm dum
Musical arrangement: Dragan Suplevski
While the young villagers are dancing, a jealous old woman forbids an old man to dance with the pretty girls, so that "he won't spoil their dance."
Makedonska Humoreska
Musical arrangement: Todor Skaloski
In this merry song, the singers imitate the sound of a drum. It has very characteristic Macedonian rhythm and tells of a young couple who constantly quarrel, but who can't live without each other.
Vlas'kc Musical arrangement: Rastko Pavlovic; Choreography: Vladcta Vlahovic
The dances of the shepherds from eastern Serbia arc known for many excellent examples of animated folk styles: fast, lively, and full of syncopation. When they go dancing they take two pairs of shoes with them! The young ladies' costumes, unchanged for centuries, arc still in use and are considered to be some of the most beautiful of Serbian costumes.
Folk Song and Dance Suite Musical arrangement: Imre Sabo This potpourri of popular traditional melodies is performed by the folk orchestra alone.
Songs of Belgrade, Capital of Serbia Musical arrangement: Milovan Pancic
Frula iz Zemuna
Every morning a young man strolls past his girlfriend's house and wakes her by playing his flute.
Kolovodja
This very fast song is sung by dancers whose one wish is to see their leader finally married and prosperous, with a good harvest and plenty of livestock.
Sokacke Dances Musical arrangement: Miodrag Jasarevic; Choregraphy: Dragomir Vukovic
These dances and songs, full of fun and the joy of life, come from the most fertile and richest part of Yugoslavia -Vojvodina -where weddings turn into great social occasions.
About the Artists
Throughout its more than forty years of performing, the Belgrade State Folk Ensem?ble has brought the folk arts of Yugoslavia to fifty countries on four continents, giving more than 5,000 performances in total. During the last three years alone, the ensemble has performed in India, Italy, West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Zambia, China, the Soviet Union, England, and Japan. It has won first prize at numerous national and international dance festivals, including the Prague and Llangollen Festivals. It has twice won first prize at the International Festival in Dijon, in a special competition between the winners of the previous yearly festivals.
The Belgrade State Folk Ensemble was founded in Yugoslavia during the Second World War. Talented young singers, dancers, and musicians from resistance and partisan groups joined to form a troupe that performed for fellow fighters and for the wounded in makeshift hospitals. The newly formed organization was named "Ivo Lola Ribar," in memory of a much-loved hero of the Yugoslavian Youth Union who had a deep affection and respect for the folk heritage of his country. Following the war, the company became the symbol of the burgeoning cultural and artistic activities in newly reconstructed Yugoslavia, and it soon grew to over 1,000 members nationwide. Today's ensemble, still known in Europe as the Ivo Lola Ribar State Ensemble, is comprised of the most talented young performers chosen from the ranks of the entire membership after months of rigorous auditions held annually throughout the country.
The Belgrade's two previous appearances in the United States were confined to the East Coast and performed with limited personnel. In contrast, the present tour carries the full complement of dancers, the orchestra, and its sister ensemble, the folk chorus, while making its first coast-to-coast North American tour. The dances performed are drawn from all eight of Yugoslavia's regions, the dynamic rhythms and movements of the dances accentuated by authentic national costumes. One special aspect of the ensemble's appear?ances are the re-creation of ancient Balkan rituals, dance, and music of the Middle Ages, carefully reconstructed through the study of folklore, historical documents, and archeological evidence.
Yugoslavia's unique musical heritage ranges from the fascinating dance rhythms and tonal characteristics of Macedonian song to the almost Asian quality of the Bosnian region and expressive and exuberant Serbian and Croatian melodies. The orchestra performs this music on authentic Eastern European instruments: the zurla, diple, and fntla, wind in?struments; the gadje, a form of bagpipe; the lijerica andgadulka, string instruments; and the ancient drum known as the tapan.
The program also includes Slavic choral music and arrangements of characteristic folk songs of all regions. The award-winning chorus, founded in 1944, is well known to audiences throughout Europe, in recent years performing to great acclaim in England, France, Italy, Austria, Rumania, Belgium, and Germany.
Sponsors for this tour of the Belgrade State Folk Ensemble include JAT (Yugoslavian Airlines), Belgrade United Bank Co., and Universal.
Touring Staff
Tom Hennes, Technical Director Allison Johnson, Stage Manager
Chuck Lambcrtz, Company Manager JoAnn Lambcrtz, Wardrobe Mistress
Jeff Sladc, Assistant Stage Manager
UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY
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