Goran Bregović has never been far away from theatricality: even in his “straight” concerts the stage is occupied by a vast number of musicians and singers. And here the word occupied should be taken quite literally: the stage is their home, or at least their everyday milieu, on which they act in a way that makes the audience feel like a new family member dropping in on a huge Mediterranean family gathering that is sometimes wildly high-spirited and sometimes heart-achingly sad, and sometimes reduces those present to tears of joy. The brass section blares, the drums roll and the strings snap as singers follow one after the other. This is not a concert to be enjoyed sitting down in a theatre, as it’s almost impossible to sit through it in silence. The audience cheers and claps constantly throughout. This is no wonder, as Bregović himself, who picked up a guitar at the age of 16 having earlier played fiddle, grounds his songs in the emotionally rich and passionate folk music of the Balkans. Many were written for films, among them the classics of director Emir Kusturica such as Arizona Dream and Time of the Gypsies. The music of this evening’s concert was also originally composed for film, memorably accompanying Patrice Chéreau’s La Reine Margot. In the new concert version premiered in June 2010, numerous musicians and singers again join Bregović on stage, together with an actress from each country where the work is performed who narrates the story in the given local language. Presented by the Palace of Arts

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