With the sounds of the Hymn to Freedom, the Libertas flag was erected on Sunday in front of St. Blaise Church in Dubrovnik, marking the opening of 67th Dubrovnik Summer Festival before officials and a large audience from home and abroad.
The opening ceremony was done per the screenplay by Mani Gotovac and directed by Ivan Miladinov. Festival’s drama ensemble consisted of Nikola Baće as head of the ceremony, Dragan Despot who recited the verses of the Hymn to Freedom, Boris Svrtan, Doris Šarić Kukuljica, Nikša Butijer, Pjer Meničanin, Anđela Ramljak, Anja Đurinović and Olga Pakalović. Dubrovnik Contradance was performed by Folklore Ensemble Linđo, which this year celebrates its 50 summers at the Festival. Part of the program were also the performances by the Kolarin Theatre Company, Ballet Department of Art School “Luka Sorkočević”, Dance Studio “Lazareti”, Dubrovnik Brass Band and others. Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Mladen Tarbuk and maestro José Cura, who performed the prologue from the opera Pagliacci. In the role of the singers he was joined by tenor Cristian Suriani and sopranos Ilijana Korać Teklić and Linda Ballova. Academic choir “Ivan Goran Kovacić” was accompanied by Dubrovnik Chamber Choir and Libertas Choir. And the opening ceremony was followed by the traditional fireworks.
Over the next 46 days, at 20 locations, nearly 2,000 artists from around the world will perform 70 theater, music, ballet, folklore and other programs before an international audience of 60,000 local and foreign visitors. Program for Monday evening thus included a gala concert at which the famous world tenor José Cura performed together with Slovakian soprano Linda Ballova, while the Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra was conducted by the intendant of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival Mladen Tarbuk. In its first part, the program of the concert was dedicated to Shakespeare, and in the second part to the Spanish and Latin American composers.
