The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-1996
“It was a battle of harmony against disharmony”
Macro Story #14: Classical Music
During the siege of Sarajevo, the concert activities did not stop. Academic musicians, soloists, conductors - those who remained in the city - organized themselves, devised repertoires, composed new works, practiced daily and prepared for concerts, despite the impossible working conditions and the constant risk of shelling. Classical music, chamber music, and opera works were performed on existing stages, such as Chamber Theatre 55 and the National Theater, but also in ruined buildings in the city with significant symbolism for the citizens of Sarajevo, such as the City Hall. During the concerts, the performers and the audience witnessed moments in which music and the sound of detonations compete to drown out each other. Creation against destruction and death.
„There were some 200-300 people who barely fit into the small auditorium of Chamber Theatre 55. How did they find out about it? That was simple, they learned about Prayer for Peace while standing in line for water, in lines for bread, while they were doing those everyday activities that were necessary for basic survival. When we went out on stage, we saw somewhere between two and three hundred people, who had risked their lives to come and participate in the Prayer for Peace. The last piece of our repertoire was Ave Maria on the Sea, an arrangement of a well-known Spanish number that is based on traditional catholic music, and somewhere in the middle of the song two or three shells fell onto Marshall Tito Street, quite close to Chamber Theater 55. The shells were so close that the windows of the neighbouring room shattered. We the players and the audience were all each other's witnesses and judges, and we just looked at each other and kept on singing. And waited for a reaction from each other, of course. We didn't interrupt the song. I remember well that not one person in the audience even moved, even though the shells were so close by. It would have been a normal human reaction for them all to at least get close to the ground. But that was just one of the wonders that occurred during those four years of war, the fact that no one in that audience or on that stage moved. And we simply finished our song in peace.“ - Selen Balić, Singer
© FAMA Collection; Oral History: 'The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-1996'
Musicians organized themselves and adapted to the new situation. Daily rehearsals and preparations for concerts were a spontaneous therapy for maintaining mental health, both for the performers and the audience. For the citizens of Sarajevo, classical music, thanks to its strong influence on people's emotional states, was the perfect means of resistance against evil and destruction.
„On March 17th, 1993. I had a beautiful concert in a magnificent atmosphere and with a magnificent audience, but in cataclysmic Sarajevo. I remember that there was heavy shelling that day. From seven in the morning till ten I counted about 100 explosions. I didn't count any more because at 12 I had a concert at the Chamber Theatre 55 and the closing ceremony of Sarajevo Winter festival, featured my timeless melodies and of course there were guests. By that time, I had given 50 or 60 performances in Sarajevo since the war had started, some of them were in the theatre, or in shelters, hospitals, some of my performances were for children. That concert was very special for me because I had got my leg out of a cast three days before. A Johnson cast. A month and a half earlier, I had broken a bone in my ankle while I was rescuing a boy from sniper fire. I thought that I would not be able to sing that I couldn't perform, but the spiritual strength within me overpowered all physical pain. I remember, my physical was sitting in the first row. He was astonished that I was walking in high heels three days after I had got my leg out of the cast. Of course I wore trousers to hide the swelling. After the show I had to take my shoe off, because the swelling had grown so much. But I didn't felt any pain because it was a great pleasure to perform in front of an audience that chanted, applauded. During the period of bombardment the audience was really beautiful, and I performed with all my love.“ - Gertruda Munitić, Primadonna of the Sarajevo Opera
© FAMA Collection; Oral History: 'The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-1996'
© FAMA Collection - Visual Archives 1992-1996 (Željko Puljić) - Concert of Chamber Orchestra of RTVBIH Music Production held on February 8, 1993 in the "Imperijal" cinema hall at the opening of the "Sarajevo Winter" Festival. Conductor: Teodor Romanić
World-famous performers, musicians, soloists and conductors saw the importance of classical music for the citizens of Sarajevo during the siege. The indomitable enthusiasm of Sarajevo's musicians and their desire to create were recognized around the world thanks to the media that transmitted unexpected images from the besieged city, such as recordings of many classical music concerts. Therefore, it is not surprising that world famous names came to Sarajevo in the desire to contribute to the collective spiritual resistance to aggression, fear and destruction. One of the most significant concerts was held under the baton of the great maestro Zubin Mehta in the Sarajevo City Hall.
FAMA Collection - Visual Archives 1992-1996
One of the most important classical music concerts during the siege was the performance of Mozart's Requiem in D minor. The concert was held on June 19, 1994 in the destroyed Sarajevo City Hall.
During the siege, the citizens of Sarajevo, individually and collectively, chose civilizational values and art as a way of survival. Classical music thus becomes the language that articulates the struggle for survival and the hope that there will still be a future. We talked with professor emeritus Rešad Arnautović about the importance of classical music in the context of spontaneous collective spiritual resistance during the siege. How were the rehearsals for the concerts? What were the reactions of the audience? Where did the artists find motivation for daily preparations and performances?
Professor Emeritus Rešad Arnautović, personal archives
Appreciating your artistic, compositional and pedagogical successes, scientific works and conducting performances during your career, we will focus on the period of the siege of Sarajevo, which is the subject of our project. You continued your work and creativity in Sarajevo during the siege. From today's perspective, how would you describe your work in impossible conditions? Where did you find strength and motivation for daily preparations and performances?
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: That the art of music is a powerful tool in the fight against evil and insanity was proven by numerous musical artists of besieged Sarajevo. Music, wherever it comes from and whatever genre it is, has a strong influence on the emotional state of every living being, especially humans. Music does not know borders, it does not divide people by race, ethnicity or religion, but through its action it strengthens, ennobles and unites these diversities.
In the besieged Sarajevo, musical artists, members of different confessions acted uniquely through their artistic expression and at the presented concerts, with their harmony they equally influenced the audience, also made up of people who were of different confessions, but united in their differences through music.
The beginning of the aggression against RBiH and the siege of Sarajevo made me, as well as all other people in the city, confused and frightened. Life continued even in such impossible conditions. While some citizens, organized through local communities, resisted the aggressor with very limited weapons, others became active in their work organizations and through their work and involvement became part of the collective spiritual resistance to aggression and destruction. At that time, I was a professor at the Music High School in Sarajevo and an assistant professor at the Music Academy in Sarajevo. In addition to the above, I also performed the duties of conductor-associate of the Chamber Orchestra of the Music Production of RTVBiH, which was later recorded as my war-time engagement by the Municipal Secretariat for Defense. Since the beginning of the aggression and siege temporarily interrupted the school classes, I focused my activities on working with the RTVBIH MP Chamber Orchestra and working with the Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus", which I founded earlier, at the RTSA MP, in 1991. The enthusiasm of the academic musicians of the orchestra and the members of the "Gaudeamus" choir gave me enormous strength and motivation to provide strong spiritual resistance, through work, performances and concerts, to the violence and insanity of those who continuously destroyed the city, and killed, maimed and psychologically destroyed its citizens.
As time went on, the inhabitants of the besieged Sarajevo somehow became immune to the circumstances in which they lived, and pushed all the dangers, which were a daily occurrence, deep into their subconscious and thus persevered. I am deeply convinced that this was the only way to keep the spirit of resistance indomitable all the time.
Describe your day during the siege of Sarajevo.
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: My day during the siege of Sarajevo began early in the morning when shelling from the aggressor's position regularly started. As early as 8:00 a.m., my walk to the RTV building began, the place where rehearsals were held with the Chamber Orchestra, and then with the Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus". After the rehearsals, I walked to the building of the Music Academy and Music High School, where I first looked into the classrooms and instruments, and attended the team meetings. My daily engagement in that period took place on a 10-12 kilometres long route, in one direction. In the evenings, I sat at the piano and studied and prepared the program for the next day by candlelight, and used the rest of the time to compose.
Considering the distance of my daily movement, I will mention one bizarre story, when at the end of 1992, through UNPROFOR, I received a small package from a friend in Zagreb, which contained, among other things, a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey. At that time, these items were the most valuable "currency" and I got a new five-speed bicycle for them through the barter. On that day, I don't think there was a happier person than me in Sarajevo.
As time went on, the inhabitants of the besieged Sarajevo somehow became immune to the circumstances in which they lived, and pushed all the dangers, which were a daily occurrence, deep into their subconscious and thus persevered. I am deeply convinced that this was the only way to keep the spirit of resistance indomitable all the time.
© FAMA Collection - Visual Archives 1992-1996 (Željko Puljić) - Concert as part of the Multiconfessional Prayer for Peace that took place in 1992 in the Sarajevo Cathedral. Conductor: Rešad Arnautović
In our archive, we found a photo from the concert that took place in 1992 as part of the Multiconfessional Prayer for Peace in Sarajevo Cathedral. That was the motive for our conversation. How did the idea for holding this concert come about? Pergolesi's oratorio "Stabat mater" was performed. Can you tell us more about the concert program? Why this piece of music?
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: The answer to this question requires a brief introduction about the work of the musical ensembles, participants in this historically significant musical event. Namely, after the independence of the RBiH state in the United Nations (March 1, 1992), the RTVBiH Music Production Chamber Orchestra became the legal successor of the RTSA Music Production Symphony Orchestra. As a result of social turmoil and aggression in RBiH, there was a significant attrition of personnel, part of the string ensemble of the RTSA Symphony Orchestra continued its work and since then has operated under the name Chamber Orchestra of MP RTVBIH. Considering that at that time I was engaged as a conductor-associate, I started to collect musical materials in order to start rehearsing the repertoire. Soon, the first studio recordings were made, followed by performances and concerts in the besieged city. Regarding that period, I would like to single out the first studio and then TV recording of Josip Magdić's work "O sanctissima" for voice and string orchestra, which the composer dedicated to the first victims in the besieged Sarajevo. It was the first performance of this work, and the solo part was sung by primadonna Margit Tomik. (The video recording is published on the official You Tube channel www.youtube.com/@resadarnautovic8610 and other social media platforms of Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović)
The first public concert of the MP RTVBiH Chamber Orchestra was held on July 31, 1992 in the Church of the Queen of St. Rosary within the framework of the 2nd War Matinee of the HKD "Napredak".
At the same time, under my management, the Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus" was active, performing rehearsals and recording, also in the RTV building.
All the mentioned activities were followed and recorded by domestic and foreign journalists and war reporters, which resulted in these two ensembles being engaged to present the program at the event called "Multiconfessional prayer for peace". It was the idea of the members of the BiH Interreligious Council. When the news officially arrived that the Interreligious Council of BiH sent an invitation to participate in the mentioned event, I suggested to the RTVBiH Music Production that the Chamber Orchestra, the Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus" and leading opera singers of the Sarajevo National Theater Amila Bakšić and Margit Tomik perform at the concert, and that J.B. Pergolesi's oratorio "Stabat Mater" be performed. The work contains a strong message of the suffering of a part of humanity through the crucifixion of Jesus, the son of God, and the opening lines "The grieving Mother stood weeping..." fully reflect the sufferings of the inhabitants of besieged Sarajevo, people of different nationalities and religious affiliations. The collegium adopted my proposal, the date of the concert was determined and intensive preparations for this important concert began.
© FAMA Collection - Visual Archives 1992-1996 (Željko Puljić) - Concert as part of the Multiconfessional Prayer for Peace that took place in 1992 in the Sarajevo Cathedral. Conductor: Rešad Arnautović
Can you describe the technical part of the preparation and realization of the concert? How was it possible to gather such a large number of musicians and soloists in such extreme and life-threatening circumstances - when the prize was the individual and collective spiritual and creative resistance? What were the rehearsals like and where were they held?
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: The academic women's choir "Gaudeamus" took the biggest part of the burden during the preparation of the concert, although the mentioned work was already an integral part of the repertoire with the intention of being performed in the time to which "Stabat mater" belongs, which is Easter. The work with the orchestra and soloists was also intense. The director of the TV broadcast made a selection of videos of the suffering of the inhabitants of Sarajevo, as well as the devastation of Sarajevo's buildings, which were partially shown during the TV broadcast. Rehearsals were held in winter, in studio "A" of the RTV building in impossible conditions, without heating, without refreshments for the musicians, and it happened that, due to frequent shelling, the rehearsals were held in the "safer" corridors of the RTV building. The fact that the percentage of attendance at rehearsals was almost 99%, which is truly incredible, shows how strong the drive of spiritual resistance against evil and madness was. It is a case of extreme luck that none of the participants were killed or injured during that period, and they came from various parts of the city, from Dobrinja to Sedrenik.
Rehearsals were held in winter, in studio "A" of the RTV building in impossible conditions, without heating, without refreshments for the musicians, and it happened that, due to frequent shelling, the rehearsals were held in the "safer" corridors of the RTV building. The fact that the percentage of attendance at rehearsals was almost 99%, which is truly incredible, shows how strong the drive of spiritual resistance against evil and madness was.
Our intention is to use the archives of the FAMA collection to present events from the cultural life in the city during the siege so that they remain preserved and accessible for future generations, students, researchers, libraries, and the media. This way, the little-known fact that RTV BiH became a member of Eurovision with the performance of this concert will be known. What did joining Eurovision mean in the circumstances of the siege, and do you think that this also contributed to the world public learning more about the life of the city under siege?
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: During the preparations for the concert as part of the "Multiconfessional prayer for peace" event, I was informed that RTVBiH signed a contract and became a member of the renowned Eurovision TV Association and that the concert will be broadcast live throughout Europe. The very knowledge that the concert will be broadcast live gave us additional motivation to present our performance at the highest artistic level. On the day of the concert, on December 23, 1992, the temperature in the Sarajevo Cathedral was -4°C. The cathedral was packed with people up to the front doors, the organ gallery and part of the choir area were full of foreign journalists and war reporters. Cameras, microphones, lighting - everything seemed unreal. I remember that I did not notice even a hint of trepidation in any of the performers, on the contrary, the expressions on their faces reflected dignity, defiance and pride!
At 12:00 p.m., the famous Eurovision theme started and the concert began. Even now I remember a strong feeling of exaltation. I had the impression that volleys of notes were coming out of my conductor's baton and were merging into beautiful harmony through musical instruments and human voices. It was a battle of harmony against disharmony.
After the end of Pergolesi's oratorio "Stabat mater" there was a long round of applause with standing ovations from the audience, and for the "encore", as a gift to believers of the Catholic faith before the upcoming Christmas holiday, we performed Gruber's famous Christmas song "Silent Night", and the audience joined in the song. Numerous interviews with domestic and foreign journalists and reporters followed. I will highlight a part of the report from Radio BiH, the editor of the Music Program Željka Kordić, who quoted the announcement of the concert by an English reporter: "Everything looks so unreal... Sarajevo, the Cathedral, devastated, performers in coats, female soloists in fur coats, and the conductor in a tailcoat look like aliens to me..." I remember how difficult it was to explain to foreign journalists that the performers included members of all three religious groups, that the conductor who conducted in the Catholic cathedral is Bosniak, that the soloists are one Catholic and the other Bosniak and that we are all a combination of differences in a unique spiritual and artistic expression.
The mere knowledge that the world through the live Eurovision broadcast had the opportunity to see what was actually happening in the besieged Sarajevo and that it was an act of aggression and destruction, and not an inter-religious or inter-national conflict, gave us artists additional strength to persevere. We showed that Europe still lives here! (The video recording is published on the official You Tube channel www.youtube.com/@resadarnautovic8610 and other social media platforms of Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović)
© FAMA Collection - Visual Archives 1992-1996 (Željko Puljić) - Concert as part of the Multiconfessional Prayer for Peace that took place in 1992 in the Sarajevo Cathedral. Conductor: Rešad Arnautović
What did working with the Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus" mean to you - then, but also looking back from today's perspective - which was founded in 1991, before the beginning of the siege of the city?
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: Academic women's choir "Gaudeamus" was founded in 1991 at the initiative of Musical Youth Sarajevo and Music Production RTSA. The predecessor of this choir was the women's choir "Miljenko Cvitković", which was founded in 1986 at the cultural and artistic society of the same name. The "Miljenko Cvitković" choir achieved significant results on the Yugoslav and international level in the 6 years until the name of the choir was changed. Considering that the choir reached a high artistic level and that the members of the choir were students of the Music Academy and students of the Sarajevo High School of Music, the idea and desire was for the choir to grow and become an independent women's radio choir. Rehearsals took place in the RTV building, where a significant repertoire of Yugoslav, European and world literature was rehearsed and recorded. Unfortunately, the aggression against RBiH and the siege of Sarajevo resulted in the dropping out of a large number of members, but to my great surprise, twice as many musically literate girls applied to become new members of the choir. I made a significant turn in the program scheme, so that the core of the repertoire consisted of choral compositions by composers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as my arrangements of sevdalinka for women's choir and soloists. During the siege of Sarajevo, the choir performed numerous performances and concerts at events such as Sarajevo Winter, Days of Bosnian Resistance and others.
The need for cultural elevation, as well as spiritual resistance to aggression, were the main reasons and motives for the "Gaudeamus" choir to maintain continuity in its work. The high level of musicianship also enabled me to develop professionally, and all of this together resulted in tours both abroad and in the cities of BiH that were under the control of the RBiH Army. After the end of the aggression and the war, this choir once again rose to such an artistic level that it could compete with European choirs on an equal footing, which it proved on numerous tours abroad and in different countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. In addition to concert activity, the Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus" has also released several CDs and DVDs with a rich and varied repertoire. During the aggression and siege of Sarajevo, I published four collections of stylized Bosnian songs - sevdalinka for choir and soloists, which contain my arrangements of Bosnian songs.
I remember that that night the RTV building was under heavy artillery fire, so much that everything around shook, and the echo of the explosions was also recorded on the TV footage. Regardless of everything, the audience and performers in studio "A" were enchanted and almost hypnotized by the magical vocals of soprano Barbara Hendrix.
„It was as if you had been in the desert for days, and then somebody gave you a glass of water, but only one glass. This is how it used to be. On the radio program that was broadcast in the city, there was not much classical music. I am a great fun of classical music myself. For me, the New Year opera concert was an exceptional experience. Something I will never forget. I was absolutely impressed with that concert. Barbara Hendrix is a woman of a small stature. I was standing close to her and I had a bit troublesome expression on my face. It was hard for me to believe that something like that would be going on in Sarajevo in those days. She was not tall, but her voice was amazingly strong.“ - Muhamed Zlatar, City Assembly
© FAMA Collection; Oral History: 'The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-1996'
In our archive, we have a video commentary on the New Year's concert of soprano Barbara Hendrix from 1993, which was performed in the RTV BiH studio in Sarajevo, in a direct Eurovision broadcast. Muhamed Zlatar, as someone who attended the concert, says in this video that the concert meant a lot for the mental survival of the citizens of Sarajevo: "It's like when a man walks through the desert, and walks for days, and someone brings you a glass of water to drink, one glass of water." You conducted that concert. What do you remember?
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: The concert that was held on December 23, 1992 in the Sarajevo Cathedral, and broadcast live by Eurovision, had a huge impact in the world. Shortly after the broadcast of this concert, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, minister in the Government of the Republic of France for humanitarian activities, had the initiative to, in coordination with the Music Production of RTV BiH, on 31.12.1993 organize a New Year's concert called "Concert of Peace" at which Barbara Hendrix, the world's most popular soprano, performed. A similar concert under the same name, through dr. Kouchner, Barbara Hendrix held at the beginning of 1992 in Dubrovnik.
Barbara Hendrix, the famous opera diva, insisted that she be sent sheet music by Bosnian composers on folk themes, and from the offered material she chose my arrangement of the sevdalinka "Put putuje Latifaga" for female choir and voice and the solo song "Mila nane" by M. Prebanda, for which I made an arrangement for the orchestra.
The concert was held late on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1993/January 1, 1994 in studio "A" of RTV building with direct Eurovision broadcast to numerous European countries. At this historically important concert for RBiH and RTVBiH, in addition to the world-famous soprano Barbara Hendrix, the following performed: RTVBiH Chamber Orchestra, Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus", Children's Choir "Palčići" and young pianist Irena Koblar under my baton and the baton of maestro Michael Tabachkin.
I remember that that night the RTV building was under heavy artillery fire, so much that everything around shook, and the echo of the explosions was also recorded on the TV footage. Regardless of everything, the audience and performers in studio "A" were enchanted and almost hypnotized by the magical vocals of soprano Barbara Hendrix. Exactly at midnight, the concert was briefly interrupted, and after the New Year's greetings, the concert continued. It was possible to get out of the RTV building only before dawn the next day, when the cannon fire stopped.
It is interesting to note that on the same day, December 31, 1993, I in the hall of the RBiH Army Hall at 12:00 in the afternoon, he conducted the first concert of the renewed Sarajevo Philharmonic after a two-year hiatus. This performance was marked as a New Year's concert, and pieces of popular classical music were performed.
At 12:00 p.m., the famous Eurovision theme started and the concert began. Even now I remember a strong feeling of exaltation. I had the impression that volleys of notes were coming out of my conductor's baton and were merging into beautiful harmony through musical instruments and human voices. It was a battle of harmony against disharmony.
Which musical event from the time of the siege, on which you worked, would you like to highlight here?
Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović: I would especially and without hesitation single out the guest appearance of the Chamber Symphony Orchestra of MP RTVBiH at the opening of the II World Sacred Music Festival in Morocco, the city of Fez, which took place on May 25, 1996. year.
Namely, after the Eurovision image of the New Year's concert with the famous soprano Barbara Hendrix has been seen in the whole world, the Music Production of RTVBiH received an invitation from the artistic director of the World Festival of Sacred Music, Mr. Gerard Kurdjian, at the end of 1995 to participate in the opening of this Festival, which is held under the patronage of King Hassan II of Morocco.
For that occasion, I put together a program in which the Islamic, Catholic and Orthodox spiritual music was presented. I gathered as many as 110 participants and a team of 20 members (editors, journalists, producers and technicians) and took them to Morocco, and His Highness King Hassan II provided a plane from his own fleet to transport the participants. It was the first civilian plane that flew in and took off from the Sarajevo airport after four years. The reception at the airport in Fez was at the highest state level.
The concert was held on the open stage of the old Medina, and in addition to a large audience, the concert was attended by Crown Prince Sidi Mohamed. The concert was broadcast by media from all over the world, and the French TV company EVA1 had the exclusive rights, which filmed a documentary about our arrival and stay in Morocco. TV EVA 1 also released a double CD with the Festival program called "Bismillah", which was distributed worldwide.
At this concert, in addition to the RTV BiH Chamber Symphony Orchestra, the Academic Women's Choir "Gaudeamus", the Sarajevo Male Choir and soloists: Amila Bakšić, Paša Gackić, Martina Gojčeta (Zagreb), Hafiz Aziz Halili (Zagreb), Lejla Jusić and Bećir Drnda performed.
(The documentary film and recording of the concert is stored in the archive of RTV BiH and published on the official You Tube channel www.youtube.com/@resadarnautovic8610 and other social media platforms of Prof. Emeritus Rešad Arnautović)