Ivo Josipović

The composer and jurist, Ivo Josipović was born in Zagreb in 1957. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb in 1980 and later received his PhD. Until 2010, he worked as a professor of criminal procedural law and international criminal law. He has published a large number of scientific and professional works in Croatia and abroad, is the author or co-author of several legal projects, has been a participant in international diplomatic and professional conferences, and has represented the Republic of Croatia at international courts.

At the Academy of Music in Zagreb, he graduated in composition in the class of Professor Stanko Horvat in 1983. After graduating, he worked for several years at the Academy of Music as a freelance assistant professor. From 1987 to 1989, he was the first vice-president of the Jeunesses Musicales International. From 1987 to 2000, he was the secretary general of the Croatian Composers’ Society, and from 1991 to 2009, the director of the Zagreb Music Biennale, the international contemporary music festival.

In 2003, he was elected as a member of the Croatian Parliament. In January 2010, he was elected as President of the Republic of Croatia. He carried out that duty until 19th February 2015. He has received many awards and recognitions, amongst which stand out the Rector’s Award of the University of Zagreb (1978).

Ivo Josipović left a significant mark in the music world with his talent and contribution to Croatian music. His compositions have been performed all over the world, and his work has been recognized and awarded at numerous music competitions and festivals. His music remains a lasting testament to his artistic vision and talent.

Awards and recognitions in the field of music:

Award Sedam sekretara of SKOJ for the Arts, for the compositions “Variations for Piano” and “Passacaglia for Strings” (1981.)
Award of the European Radio Union (EBU) for the composition “Samba da camera”, for string orchestra (1985.)
The first prize of the jury and the first prize of the audience at the International Competition of Musical Youth for the composition “Samba da camera”, for string orchestra (1985.)
Pajo Kolarić Award for the composition “Drmeš for Penderecki” (1987.)
Decoration of the Order of Danica Hrvatska with the image of Marko Marulić (1999.)
Porin discography award for the composition “Samba da camera”, for string orchestra (1999.)
Discography award “Porin” for the composition “Hiljadu lotosa”, for mixed choir and instrumental ensemble (2000.)
Award of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia for musical creativity, for the composition “Tuba ludens”, for tuba and orchestra (2002.)
Boris Papandopulo Award of the Croatian Society of Composers for the composition “Tuba ludens”, for tuba and orchestra (2002.)
Porin discography award for the best classical author’s album “Passo Sempio” performed by pianist Katarina Krpan (2012.)

INTERVIEW

You were preparing to write an opera about John Lennon for years. Being that you belong o the generation that (although it was very young at the time) managed to experience the frenzy surrounding The Beatles, did that inspire you, or was the act of the murder of a famous musician more motivating to create the opera?

I would say that Lennon’s beautiful music was a kind of catalyst in choosing the subject. However, there were other reasons key for choice. One, there’s the phenomenon of a man, Chapman, who worshipped Lennon, but then ended up killing him. Next, there were intriguing interpersonal relationships between Lennon and the people he was close to. First of all, it’s about the Lennon – Yoko Ono – May love triangle, his relationship with his mother and the relationships within the band. And finally, Lennon and The Beatles were for the young generations of the middle of the last century icons of social rebellion. Lennon was considered a dangerous and subversive person by the American secret services and they caused him problems. On the other hand, his criticism of the establishment and his advocacy for justice and peace were not unanimously approved, namely, he was part of that same establishment with his lifestyle. Many of his fans resented him for this, some even disowned him and the entire band.

You made a brave decision about avoiding any musical touches with John Lennon’s artistic legacy. Can you give us any reasons why?

The first reason is that Lennon wrote music in his own specific style. I am sure that I couldn’t write such good Lennon-style music. After all, I have built a style that is recognisable amongst experts and in the section of the public who follow contemporary music. Likewise, the use of Lennon’s music, even if it were not literal quotes, is problematic, both ethically and legally. Should I take the credit for other people’s music!?

The plot of the Lennon opera is centred around the musician’s murder, with many flashbacks that border on hallucinations, detailing fragments of memories that are linked associatively, without a fixed sequence of time. Did you immediately have such a structure in mind, and how much did Marina Biti’s libretto influence the final form of your opera?

No, I didn’t have a detailed plan at the beginning. For a long time, for more than a decade, I wanted to write an opera about the murder of Lennon, primarily motivated by the relationship between the killer and the murdered man. But they were just vague outlines of the plot as I imagined it. I spoke to several of our famous writers. Everyone wanted to do the libretto for my opera, but not for Lennon. They either had a prepared text that they offered or a proposal for some other idea. But I only wanted to write about Lennon… About a year and a half, two years ago, my mobile phone rang, and with a pleasant voice, Professor Marina Biti from Rijeka introduced herself. She said that she had a libretto if I was interested. “Of course,” I said. I read the libretto and was delighted with the concept and the text itself, which was great. Later we changed some things together, mostly shortening it because the text was too long for the agreed duration of the opera. But the final version has not lost any of its beauty and poetry. In fact, the entire story takes place from the moment Chapman shoots Lennon, until the moment when Lennon dies. During that time, Lennon through the fantasy and agony in his mind goes over his relationships with the most important people in his life. Amongst them is also the murderer Chapman. There are ten soloists, and the most important relationships are the ones that Lennon remembers: the John – Yoko Ono – May love triangle, the relationship with his mother, and the relationships in the band itself.

Famous characters appear in the opera, from John Lennon himself, Yoko Ono and John’s aunt to the killer Chapman and others. How did you imagine them musically?

Their characterization is profiled by the libretto, the choice of voices, and motifs that we could, in the broadest sense, treat as notes of leitmotifs.

The score, the libretto — these are all prerequisites for a theatrical performance that is never just a copy of a template. A huge number of people participated in the work of the play, from the author’s team and performers, all the way to the technicians who change the scenery. Thereby, the position of the author is always challenging. Being that in the theatre there is a division amongst living authors into those who watch day and night over every detail and those who do not consciously get involved in the work process, tell me, in which group would you put yourself?

No matter how you look at it, the author of the music is still the one who makes a decisive contribution to the opera. Of course, the roles of the conductor, stage director, soloists, choir and orchestra, costume designer, scenographer and many others are huge. I must say that I am extremely grateful to all of them for the great effort they have put in to make the opera a success. I worked very closely with maestro Ivan Skender, a conductor who, apart from being a very successful composer, has the additional qualification of also being a conductor of contemporary opera. I really wouldn’t single any one person out, the enthusiasm in the Croatian National Theatre is very impressive. Personally, I don’t get involved in the work process. I would probably go to one of the last rehearsals, possibly for some suggestion that is important for the character of the opera. I respect the work and contribution of all participants and do not want to interfere with their work.

I wandered along the Flower Road in the fog… On the way back, I was struck by what in fiction they call a sterile and completely dark hopeless perspective — it is the so-called premiere neurasthenia… This is how Miroslav Krleža described his nervousness before the premiere of Golgota in 1922. How do you overcome and survive the days before the premiere of your operatic work?

I wouldn’t say that I have feelings like the premiere neurasthenia described. On the contrary, I am looking forward to the performance and await it with curiosity, in a positive atmosphere. I mean to say, until the final result is seen on stage, no one can fully say what will happen during the performance itself. Of course, when it comes to the music, I know how it will sound, however, I only perceive the other elements of the opera in conversation with the participants of the opera. However, I am intrigued by the extraordinary interest of the audience in the performances that follow. I’ve heard that tickets for both shows have sold out… I hope that there will be more performances.

Interview by Sanja Ivić