PHOTOS: Spectacular LADO concert thrills packed Croatian National Theatre
- by croatiaweek
- in Entertainment
Croatia’s national ensemble of folk dances and songs, LADO, delighted the Zagreb audience on the weekend, performing “Odjeci vremena” (Echoes of Time) for the first time.
This is a annual festive dance concert, which LADO performed on November 12 and 13 in front of a full Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
LADO celebrated 73 years since its founding with the concert, during which the most beautiful and well-known choreographies and songs of Croatian traditional art were performed on stage.
The concert “Odjeci vremena” represents a kind of breakthrough in the repertoire of the LADO Ensemble. The concert segments were directed by renowned film and theatre director, Bobo Jelčić, while the master of lighting is the Australian-Malaysian producer Govin Ruben, known for numerous international projects, especially on Off-Broadway.
The theme of this year’s concert was protected intangible cultural assets, which make Croatia a world phenomenon, which additionally obliges LADO in its mission to preserve and present heritage musical and stage phenomena.
When it comes to the Croatian intangible cultural heritage on UNESCO’s lists, the audience heard the Međimurje popevka, the archaic ojkanje and the old Slavonian bećarac during these two days of performances, and enjoyed the double voice of the narrow intervals of Istria and the Croatian coast, the Klapa song, the annual spring procession Zvončara from the area of Kastavština, Slavonian queens, Vrličko kolo and more.
The choreography of Krčki tanac, by Zvonimir Ljevaković, in addition to its artistic uniqueness, also presented to the audience a replica of the women’s folk costume kotiga.
The repertoire of the LADO Ensemble is systematically expanding, as this concert proved, so the audience could enjoy new works and performances – the šokačko kolo, Bećarc from Brodski Posavlje, the song “Jur večernjica” gori from Cavtat and the orcanja from Ravni kotar, which were performed and interpreted by LADO artists based on the singing of folk singers from Polača.
With this concert, the solo artists, Adrijana Mamula and Željko Lukačin, said goodbye to their professional performances with LADO. The pair left an indelible mark on the generations that come to LADO with their dedicated work and stage excellence.
After two performances in the packed HNK in Zagreb, “Odjeci vremena” will continue its journey on November 14 in Varaždin and November 16 in Petrinja.
Tickets for the concert in Varaždin are available through the theatre’s official website, while tickets for the concert in Petrinja are free, with prior collection.
Another date has been added for the annual dance concert on November 29, 2022 in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through the hall’s official website and through the Ulaznice.hr system.