ON THE GUARDING OF THE HEART by D. Zivkovic

On the Guarding of the Heart, for chamber orchestra, by Djuro Zivkovic

On the Guarding of the Heart was premiered by one of the most respected ensembles for the contemporary music, Klangforum Wien and British conductor Clement Power. The premiere took place on the contemporary music festival – 20th Composers’ Review, held annually in Belgrade. The piece is commissioned by and dedicated to the prestigious ensemble.

Djuro Zivkovic’s On the Guarding of the Heart is written impressively, pushing the instrumental virtuosity and a sublime compositional imagination to the highest levels. The work is inspired by a spiritual philosophy of the past, however it is a work that speaks to each of us at this very moment—it brings a message about the true reality of the world that is essentially required for the spiritual and artistic transformation of the society. Zivkovic keeps a discourse about the time, about the spirit, and the incarnation of matter. In On the Guarding of the Heart one can find radiant harmonies, crystallization of melodies, lightest light and darkest darkness, flashes, unusual vibrations and noises on the threshold of audibility, a deep concentration and frozen time. His composition is very precise in style, balanced in form, and written virtuously as it can be imagined with a pure improvisation.