Successful World Premiere of Stanko Juzbašić’s Composition Nachtflug at the Vienna Musikverein

Our long-time regular member Stanko Juzbašić, composer and intermedia artist, had a successful world premiere of his work Nachtflug on 8 November at the Vienna Musikverein. The piece is a concert recital for narrator, four musicians, and a sound technician, inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel Night Flight. The text adaptation is by renowned Austrian actor and director Karl Markovics, who also performs as the narrator in the production.

The musicians who took part in the performance were:
• Birgit Ramsl – flute and bass flute
• Andrej Serkov – bandoneon
• Tobias Meissl – vibraphone and percussion
• Florian Eggner – cello and voice

A distinctive element of the performance was the interactive audio technology operated by the composer himself, giving the audience a unique experience of sound and narration.

The Musikverein opened in 1870 in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph, and has since been the permanent home of the Vienna Philharmonic. It regularly attracts music lovers from around the world, especially during the Philharmonic’s traditional New Year’s Concert, which is broadcast globally.

This event marks an important moment in the artistic life of our member Stanko Juzbašić, bringing together literature, music and contemporary technology in a unique performance before a prestigious audience in the heart of Vienna.

“For me, Night Flight is not only about the metaphorical meaning — whether the question of responsibility may be scattered or bypassed by the cunning of automation and mass consumption — but equally about the transmission of meaning; every such attempt is, for me, a challenge, a flight into the unknown, a night flight, all the more so because the form of the concert recital is already well explored and appears to be a familiar flight path. Otherwise it would be neither sincere nor worth the effort.
I often wondered whether, in our project, I side with Rivière or with Fabien — I would like to be able to be both and to share that; to contribute from a timeless atmosphere — both are possible from a musical point of view. After all, to compose is also to wish to bring people closer together.” — Stanko Juzbašić

Stanko Juzbašić is an independent artist, musician, composer, intermedia artist and software author. After completing his studies in electrical engineering and Portuguese language and literature, he devoted himself to original work in the fields of sound, music, theatre and music informatics. He has composed original music for more than 60 musical and theatrical productions in Croatia and abroad. He is the recipient of several theatre and music awards. In 1996/97 he was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University’s Music Department in New York. From 1995–2002 he collaborated as an instructor at the Moving Academy for Performing Arts in Berlin. In 2005/06 he taught the course Sound Design at the Arts Academy in Osijek. He is a member of the Croatian Composers’ Society, the Croatian Association of Freelance Artists and the “Shadow Casters” Association.

Karl Markovics, director and performer of this concert recital, is a celebrated Austrian film and theatre actor, director, and screenwriter. He achieved international recognition for his role in the Oscar-winning 2007 film The Counterfeiters, as well as in the popular TV series Inspector Rex. It is also important to note that his film Atmen (Breathing) won the ‘Golden Heart of Sarajevo’.