FILMharmonia

FILMHARMONICS – A UNIQUE EUROPEAN PROJECT

For almost a century now, from one generation to the other, one irresistibly charming character has remained a mainstay of the silver screen. He makes us laugh, he makes us cry, as well as daydream and fret. Charlie Chaplin is film and film is Charlie Chaplin. His Tramp is not just one of the most recognisable movie characters of all time, but also the embodiment of numerous human traits with which we can identify.

The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Krešimir Batinić have decided to tackle this film great in a completely original way, by performing music from Chaplin's movies while they are shown on the big screen, thereby highlighting the fact that in addition to being an outstanding actor, screenwriter and director, Chaplin was also a top notch – composer!

In 2018 the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra initiated a unique EU project financed by the ERDF and IPA II funds of the European Union. This is a cross-border collaboration between two partners: the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and the Music Youth of Novi Sad, as well as four cities: Novi Sad, Ilok, Subotica and Vukovar, and two art forms: music and film.

What is FILMHARMONICS actually?

It is truly a one-of-a-kind and an exceptionally eye-catching project in which the (grand) Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, backed by six musicians from the Music Youth of Novi Sad and with Maestro Krešimir Batinić as the conductor, perform music from Chaplin's cult classics, such as The Kid and A Dog's Life, as they are screened live. As part of the aforementioned project, screenings were held in Novi Sad on 3, 4 and 5 September 2019, immediately followed by screenings in Ilok on 9, 10 and 11 September. The year 2020 saw performances in Vukovar on 17, 18 and 19 June and finally in Subotica on 19, 20 and 21 September 2020. Right from the start, the project drew considerable interest from the media and public, but mostly a large number of visitors at the screenings, thus meeting one of the primary objectives and preconditions of this European project – to enhance the quality of life and enrich the cultural life of the local communities.

Also, the driving forces behind the Filmharmonics project, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and the Music Youth of Novi Sad, want to send out a message that art is a bridge and a space for attempting collaboration and offering a new start as well as opening new possibilities and potential, which can be realised through the magic of music and film.

The project is co-financed by the ERDF and IPA II funds of the European Union.

More information about the project is available HERE.

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