In the packed Church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town of Kotor, the Serbian Choir Society "Jedinstvo" (1839) Kotor, tonight under the baton of Master Mihajl Lazarević, performed the work "Liturgy of the Domestics" op. 79 (1917) by Aleksandar Grečanjinov.
Addressing the audience, which applauded another brilliant performance by our choristers with loud applause, MA Lazarević said:
“At the end of this jubilee 185th year of existence and work of the Serbian Singing Society “Jedinstvo”, founded back in 1839, it is time to thank everyone who is with us constantly, who with their heart, thoughts and love, financially and in any way contributes to our progress as a Society and to be primarily better people and then singers, just as our ancestors taught us, leaving us a legacy to maintain all of God’s teachings and the human virtues that guided them.
Thank you to my singers, many of whom have been singing and members of the Society for decades, who have performed this musical undertaking with me with great effort, work and dedication, including this work, not at all simple but magnificent, in the choir's repertoire.
I thank the soloists from Belgrade, Mr. Vanja Biserčić - tenor, Mr. Darko Manić - bass, and the members of the choir of Radio Television of Serbia, who have postponed their professional obligations, recognizing the quality and importance of our Society and contributed to the performance of this Liturgy for the first time in Montenegro, singing arias and making exclamations in concert.
I also thank our soloist, Prof. Aleksandra Magud, whose voice color touches the sky.
This liturgy is not composed "a cappella", but also has instrumental accompaniment - an orchestra. For this opportunity and performance, we thank the members of the Alegrija string quartet from Podgorica, who, in addition to their professional obligations in the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, found time to prepare and perform this work with us.
We also thank our permanent piano collaborators, Prof. Ana Mihaljeević and Prof. Dejan Krivopkapić, whose professionalism and musicality greatly influence the quality of the choir's interpretation.
Why the Liturgy of the Domestic by Aleksandar Grečanjinov?
As a second-year student at the Academy of Music in Novi Sad, I had the honor of singing this work under the conductorship of Maestro Mladen Jagušt, the long-time conductor of the RTB choir and a professor at the Academy of Music. The Liturgy left a strong impression on me, a young man at the time who had just begun to dabble in conducting. I wanted to prepare and perform it myself someday. It took me this long to learn many things about music, gain experience, shape the singers, and finally dare to put the Liturgy on the repertoire. Just a few days ago, Maestro Jagušt turned 100, and in this way his former student congratulates him on this round, full century of being on earth with us, teaching us and showering us with divine music.
I would like to take this moment to thank those wonderful and honorable members who are no longer physically with us, but I believe that from some heavenly garden they continue to follow us and rejoice in every success of the Society. Since the last anniversary, the following have no longer been with us:
- Archpriest - Stavrophor Momčilo Krivokapić
- Prof. Darinka Matić Marović
- Mrs. Danica Panjević Kesler
- Academician Dimitrije Stefanović
- Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Dr. Amfilohije Radović
- His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Irinej
- Mrs. Nada Mračević
- Mr. Bogoboj Cicović
- Protinica Smiljka Krivokapić
- our Milica Vukasović Vukašinović
- Mr. Mladen Lučić
- Mr. Andrija Milić
- Prof. Dr Danica Petrović
- Mr. Goran Petrović
- Without them, we would not be who we are.
We also thank you, dear audience, for following us, cheering us on and supporting us to persevere on this noble path and always be in line with our slogan “A SONG TO THE HEART-TO THE HEART OF THE KIN”.
Finally, everyone, as well as the deceased members of our Society, emphasized Lazarevic, was presented with the pearl of Serbian spiritual music "Tebe pojem" by Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac. The concert was attended, among others, by: the Archbishop of Kotor-Tivat, Archpriest - Stavrophor Nemanja Krivokapic, Chancellor of the Diocese of Kotor, Don Robert Tonsati, President of the Tivat Municipal Council Miljan Markovic, President of the Kotor Tourist Organization Jovan Ristic, President of the Kotor City Music, Vladimir Begovic.