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Davor Branimir Vincze’s new work “darkroom” tours Europe

During my time as Ivy Plus Exchange Scholar at University of Chicago and under a kind guidance of Augusta Read Thomas, I was working on a new piece for 20 strings, 2 percussion and electronics. All electronic tapes have been created in studios of Music department in UChicago. The enesemble that commissioned my piece was No Borders Orchestra. NBO is a German ensemble that promotes values of inculsion, dialogue and mutual respect, by bringing young musicians from all sides of former Yugoslavia to play together.

This year’s project celebrated 30 years of the fall of Berlin wall and was inspired by Berghain – the famous Berlin night club that is known for its openness to all classes, genders, sexuality and life styles. The program consisted of newly written pieces by five composers from former Yugoslavia, myself included. The summer tour 2019 started in Montenegro, and included one performance in each federal country of what once was Yugoslavia, as well as Berlin at the very end.

My piece darkroom takes the idea from hidden corridors filled with sexual drive and abstracts this to a perception of large, unknown, tenebrous space, within which anything can happen. Confronted with the conflict of one’s inner desire versus social norm, the question emerges – can one ever really let go?

This tour was an amazing experience, working along professional musicians, traveling and seeing how my piece evolved and improved with each of the seven concerts. The concert halls were packed in each venue (150-350 people) and audience response was extremely positive. The recording was taken by Festival Maribor in Slovenia.

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