Seducers and Lovers

Is there any greater seductress than music? The Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra dedicates an evening to her, filled with passion, mysticism and the intoxicating power of sound, under the baton of conductor maestra Barbara Dragan. A finalist in a number of prestigious international conducting competitions, she is also among the recipients of a Grammy Award. She is joined by the enchantress of the violin Liya Petrova, a young star of international concert stages, while the operatic world of fascinating seductresses and seducers, as well as those they seduce, will be brought to life by soprano Josipa Lončar, a soloist of the Zagreb National Theater Opera and Ljubomir Puškarić, baritone and principal artist of the same opera house.

From the seductive masked intrigue of Johann Strauss Jr.’s operetta Die Fledermaus, through the flamboyant allure of Musetta in Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème and the dangerous moves of Don Giovanni in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera, to the fiery Carmen in Pablo de Sarasate’s virtuosic arrangement and the erotic ecstasy of Camille Saint-Saëns, a series of dazzling and seductive musical scenes unfolds. Manuel de Falla and Jules Massenet bring magic and transformation, while Richard Wagner and Maurice Ravel conclude the evening in a rapture that shifts from sublime idealization into dancing ecstasy.

The Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra is one of Europe’s oldest radio orchestras, originating from the orchestra founded in 1929 at Radio Zagreb. It has borne its current name since 1991. Initially tied to radio programming, it began performing publicly in 1942, with regular broadcasts and recordings. The orchestra has been led by numerous distinguished conductors and since the 2022/2023 season, its chief conductor has been Pascal Rophé. With its distinctive programming, it has established itself as one of Croatia’s key performing ensembles. It regularly appears at national festivals and at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, with broadcasts on HRT. It is the recipient of the Grand Prix Orlando and Nova ploča awards for its contribution to Croatian music (2024).

Johann Strauss Jr.: The Bat, overture to the operetta

Giacomo Puccini: Quando me’n vò, Musetta’s aria from Act II of the opera La bohème

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni, overture to the opera

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Là ci darem la mano, Zerlina and Don Giovanni duet from Act I of the opera Don Giovanni

Pablo de Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy, for violin and orchestra

Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Bacchanale, from Act 3 of the opera Samson and Delilah

Manuel de Falla: Ritual Fire Dance, from the ballet El amor brujo

Jules Massenet: Meditation, for violin and orchestra, from Act II of the opera Thaïs

Richard Wagner: O du mein holder Abendstern, Wolfram’s romance, from Act 3 of the opera Tannhäuser

Maurice Ravel: La valse