This renowned artist and innovator of sound traditions, who with his band “Balkanopolis” enriches the global music scene with the modern tradition of the Balkans, is equally praised by the audience and world critics, who classify it as a national treasure of the Balkans and its sound as a new musical wave. The master artist, multinstrumentalist, composer and singer, Slobodan Trkulja and “Balkanopolis”, will perform again in front of the Belgrade audience on March 13 at 7 p.m. Yet, if you seek uniqueness, rather than perfection, then you should not miss out on the next Trkulja concert in Belgrade, coming up on March 1st.Slobodan Trkulja and Balkanopolis on the stage of Kombank Hall on March 13 at 7 p.m. With a more powerful piano and one saxophone solo less by Trkulja, the experience would have been close to spotless. Despite the fact that the Belgrade performance was unique, it was not flawless. So, is Slobodan Trkulja a musical genius, a moniker so frequently attached to his name? Certainly it would be difficult to find a matching blend of quality of jazz, folk and church music in one person. The concert ended with Trkulja playing a tiny shepherd’s flute subtly, and very quietly, leaving the audience in raptures. Trkulja seems to be able move his well-rounded voice, across range and key within fractions of a second, and this is a quality which should be no less admired than his ability to play so many instruments so well. If you have been tempted to listen to a recording of Trkulja singing, I can say that I was surprised to learn that the detail that we were able to hear him deliver when singing live, are lost on a CD or internet download. His incredible diaphragm control combined with tunes that are the most musical combination of mutually discordant notes will blow you away. If you ever wondered what the male version of Le Mystere des Voix Bulgaires would sound like, here is the answer. In the second half, Slobodan Trkulja sang. His Belgrade performance of this song was admirable.
The tune, blending jazz and light piano notes, made von Chossy recognised for his ability to deliver much softness and sentiment without losing clarity. It was this composition von Chossy played with his trio to an audience in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. It is hard to decide weather one should more admire Trkulja for this skill or von Chossy for his ability to meld his playing entirely to the expression of young Serbian musician, despite not being a not a part of these deep-rooted traditions.ĭuring the first half of the ninety minute concert, the pianist had a solo, performing a composition ‘Munich’, inspired by his hometown. His tie with these traditions remains unbroken even when he delivers the most sophisticated and modern jazz tunes. In particular because Slobodan Trkulja plays every single instrument with the sentiment born of a beautiful old space and time, when the myths of medieval Serbia were born. Melodically, the two men are a match made in heaven. Yet in a theatre of several hundred seats, it was only just a match for not only the fortitude, but also the dynamics of what and how Trkulja was playing. Von Chossy delivers his music with a great deal of intimacy and inherent softness, which is perfect for such an instrument. While the decisive sound of Trkulja filled the hall from the first tune on, it seems that the choice of performing on pianoforte, rather than on a full-size concert piano, might not have been the best. The concert in Pozoriste na Terazijama, a place acoustically well-suited to classical music, started with a saxophone-piano duo. It was in The Netherlands Trkulja met Franz von Chossy, a young pianist who had been performing his own jazz compositions with a trio baring his name, composed of piano, bass and drums. This young man plays not only tenor saxophone and clarinet, which he studied in the Netherlands, but also 14 other instruments including the duduk, diple, dvojnice and other traditional instruments from the Balkans.
His grasp of the soul of old Serbia, with its almost Byzantine music style, was matched admirably by his unique singing style and ability to play several instruments many did not believe existed anymore. Slobodan Trkulja caught the public eye when he performed the highly symphonic composition Nebo with a big orchestra and an Orthodox monk at the 2008 Beovizija. Accompanying him was Franz von Chossy, young, not yet a superstar, but certainly a musician of high merit. In a concert at Pozoriste na Terazijama Trkulja played as many instruments he could get his hand on.
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