OPERA "CHERRY WITH A GOLDEN PIP" - PRESENTATION OF SERB ART AND LANGUAGE

BANJA LUKA, APRIL 21 /SRNA/ - The premiere of the chamber opera "Cherry with a Golden Pip" which will be staged in June in Mexico is an important step towards a wider presentation of contemporary Serb art and culture abroad, while the performance in the Serbian language gives identity and authenticity, composer David Mastikosa assessed for SRNA.

"For me as an author, this performance has a strong symbolic significance. It is not just a performance of an opera, but a dialogue between culturally different environments, based on trust and mutual interest. I am especially glad that this work, inspired by the text of Milorad Pavić, one of the most important Serbian writers, can be heard and experienced in a new guise, in a completely different context," said Mastikosa.

Mastikosa pointed out that for him the decision to keep the opera in the Serbian language, even in an international context, is very significant, because language is a means of communication, but in this case also the bearer of rhythm, colour, sound and identity of chamber opera.

He mentioned that only a few local operas had their premiere on the international stage, which additionally influenced the decision to stage the opera in Mexico in the Serbian language.

Mastikosa explained that the opera was written from the point of view of the sonority of the Serbian language, which gives it additional authenticity.

"I am convinced it can communicate with the audience even beyond linguistic understanding, which is one of the reasons why Mexican artists were open to preserving the Serbian language," Mastikosa emphasized.

According to him, the director Cristóbal Meza Alonso will stage the opera as part of the "Identities of Migrants" season in the city of Puebla, and what attracted them the most was the universality of the story, raising questions of responsibility, guilt and consequences, while the visual and sound poetics of the opera opens up a wide space for innovative stage interpretation, which was particularly inspiring for Mexican artists.

"Through the story of Timotej Medoš, a man in anticipation, trapped in a triangular room - a space of history, politics and personal destiny - the inner state of a modern man is presented. Such a layered and symbolic approach, shaped through unusual and mystical characters such as a `pocket` dog, a devil or people with a ‘worn out’ face, overcomes geographical and cultural boundaries and communicates with the audience on a deep, existential level," Mastikosa said.

He emphasized that the Banja Luka staging of the opera "Cherry with a Golden Pip" was specific in that it grew out of the enthusiasm of the local community, and was realized in cooperation with local artists, carrying a warm, intimate energy.

"It wasn't easy, but we were lucky to be guided through that process by the great director Ozren Prohić. The play will get a new look in Mexico - the director's approach, scenography and musical interpretation will be different, adapted to the context in which it is created. But the essence of the work remains the same. And that is the beauty of such projects, the ability to have the same story live in different forms and in different languages of expression," said Mastikosa, who is also an assistant professor at the Academy of Arts of the University of Banja Luka.

Speaking about contemporary art in Republika Srpska, he assessed that this area often remains isolated within closed circles, and that it is necessary to work on creating more permanent platforms for exchange, cooperation and presentation inside and outside the country.

"International exchanges, support for independent initiatives, networking of institutions and artists, these are all mechanisms that can contribute to better visibility. Our culture has something to offer. The question is how we will present it, not as something that seeks recognition from others, but as an equal interlocutor in the global artistic space," Mastikosa concluded.

The premiere of the opera "Cherry with a Golden Pip" in Mexico is scheduled for June 26, which will be followed by two performances.

The opera "Cherry with a Golden Pip" was performed for the first time in Banja Luka in December 2023, and the next performance took place in October 2024 at the Banski Dvor Cultural Centre.