Continuing the long and fertile cooperation with the Music Biennale Zagreb, which goes back to the very beginnings of this international manifestation, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, in collaboration with MBZ, presented the world premiere of a new work by the contemporary Croatian composer Ivo Josipović, the opera Lennon.
The fate of John Lennon, one of the famous Beatles, had intrigued the composer for a long time, and when Marina Biti wrote the libretto, the composer’s work could continue. This story about the murder that shook the modern world contained surrealistic components. John Lennon and the people who were important to him were placed at the centre of the plot, together with the murderer and his specific psychological profile, while the opera attempted to answer the question of what drove a fan to turn into the killer of the man he adored.
Composer Ivo Josipović, alongside a very rich musical career (A Game of Glass Beads, Jubilus for piano, Garden of Epicurus for symphonic orchestra, A Party for two pianos, percussion and strings, Samba da Camera, etc.), also built a distinguished legal and political career. He has been a member of several artistic, professional and scientific associations and bodies in Croatia and abroad, an elected member of the World Academy of Art and Science, and the recipient of numerous awards in the field of music.
The world premiere of the opera Lennon on the stage of the CNT in Zagreb was conducted by Ivan Josip Skender and directed by Marina Pejnović.
