Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra: Beauty and Joy of Music

In the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York the performance of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra was met and accompanied by a long applause. The orchestra was admired in concert halls of numerous other cities on all continents. Nevertheless, stages of the City of Zagreb are its most frequent and dearest destination.

The impressive music story about the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra has been around for almost 150 years. Its orchestral and concert activity in Zagreb started long ago, in 1871 and in 1920 it was given its current name.
In addition to distinguished chief conductors from Croatia and abroad, many world-famous guest conductors performed with the Philharmonic. These are just the most recent ones: Lorin Maazel, Leopold Hager, Valery Gergiev, Sir Neville Marriner and Dimitri Kitaenko, who remains artistic advisor of the Zagreb Philharmonic. “It is very difficult for me to explain this connection; musicians look at me and I look at them and the result is there” says the world-famous conductor, Maestro Dimitri Kitaenko. This is how the conductor, whose name is linked to new achievements in music as well as large concerts and projects in discography, explains his link with the Zagreb musicians.

The Zagreb Philharmonic has performed in almost all European countries, in Russia, the United States of America, Mexico, Japan, Oman, China and Argentina. Its concerts in the New Year’s morning in Salzburg have become an indispensable part of its concert season. However, most performances of this famous orchestra are linked to the Zagreb concert halls. In summer the orchestra leaves indoor spaces and holds concerts in the first open-air festival of classical music in Zagreb, Zagreb Classic, bringing joy to the citizens and visitors of Zagreb. During many evenings in July, this festival turns King Tomislav Square in a beautiful outdoor concert stage.

(Photo: Zagreb Philharmonic)

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