A gala concert on the occasion of an exceptional jubilee – the 130th anniversary of the Croatian Music Society Biranj from Kaštel Lukšić was held this Sunday, November 16th, at the Cultural Center in Kaštel Lukšić. Under the title "HGD Biranj – More than music", the people of Kaštela and their guests had the opportunity to witness an event that surpassed the standards of previous productions in the city in every way. It was an evening of pride, emotion and top-notch music, a tribute to the continuous work, dedication and love that generations of musicians have been imprinting on this unique society for 130 years.
The evening began with a film that provided the audience with an impressive historical overview from 1895 to the present day, recalling the journey from a modest group of fifteen Lukšićans under the baton of teacher Bartul Rodin to today's orchestra with more than fifty musicians. Over the decades, Biranj has become the foundation of Kaštela's cultural identity - a symbol of heritage and pride.
The society is the proud recipient of numerous awards, such as the Charter of the Croatian Cultural Council and the City of Kaštela Award, and has produced many renowned professors, composers and orchestral musicians. Biranj, quite simply, goes beyond the notion of an amateur society – it is an institution, a tradition and a community.
"We are proud of this great anniversary"
President of the Biranj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Milan Gardener, addressed with sincere emotion and pride:
- We are proud of this great anniversary. The concert has been in preparation for a long time and the tickets are all sold out. 55 of our members are performing, plus soloists: Elvis Stanić, Dražen Bogdanović, Željko Milić, Ksenija Varvodić-Periš, Jurica Karuza and Damir Marušić - he added that such a spectacle is the result of cooperation and support and especially thanked the sponsors, first and foremost the City of Kaštela and the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, Sveti Jeronim Airport, HEP and Marina Kaštela.
Vicko Novak: 63 years in Biranj
Among those who have dedicated their lives to the society is a long-time member Vicko Novak, a musician whose incredible 63 years of service were rewarded by the audience with a standing ovation.
Vicko said:
- I currently play percussion, I started as a trumpeter, then drums and then bass guitar. I've been here for 63 years. We started with marches – happy and funeral – and that's all we performed, then conductor Lukšić came, he transformed us and that's still going on today. We've been to Europe a lot, to competitions. Today the emphasis is on rejuvenating the society, you see there are a lot of young members, and we also started a percussion school because the two of us are already old.
Ivan Biliškov: Lifetime Contribution Award
A special moment of the evening was the presentation of the award for many years of active work in society and exceptional contribution to the development and promotion of the reputation of HGD Biranj – Ivan Biliškov.
In an emotional statement he said:
- I have given my all for 47 years in this company, but what I am especially pleased about is that the young people who are here on stage tonight have continued the tradition of Biranj and will continue it. My grandson, who is now 13 years old and his name is Ivan Biliškov, is playing tonight, so Biranj certainly has a future.
He also talked about how deeply rooted music is in his family:
- All three of my children played in Biranj and developed through Biranj. Our family's upbringing was extremely connected to music. Now, my Ivana is in America, at the Detroit Opera, but she still comes and plays with Biranj whenever she can. Petra is also in Zagreb, she plays timpani in Biranj whenever she can. I mean, my son is the first soloist of the company, a trumpeter, we heard him tonight in Children of Sanchez, his great solo, grandson plays, so it continues.
He also recalled many successful performances and achievements:
- I have also channeled my love for music and my love for everything I do into a school in Kaštela, into working with Biranj. We have had numerous successful performances, competitions, a concert at the Croatian National Theatre with maestro Vjekoslav Šute... I came here as president at the age of 38 and I gave some of the energy that such youth brings. Now I no longer have that energy, but there are others who inherit it. They are famous, the best. Biranj is one, the only and the best.
The evening also had an extremely important authorial stamp from the current conductor. Deni Pjanić, who wrote two compositions for this anniversary.
first, "Podno Birnja", is an original composition dedicated to society and was premiered at this concert. In it, Pjanić leads the audience with music from the peaks of Kozjak to the seashores of Kaštela. This composition features a guest appearance by the prominent musician Ivan Božičević.
Second, "My first love", Runjić's composition is well-known in the performance of Oliver, and for this occasion it has been given a new arrangement by Pjanić. It features special guests including former conductor Birnja Jurica Karuza and long-time collaborator Ksenija Varvodic Peris.
Pjanić said about the evening:
- It's a great honor and a great pleasure, but it's also a responsibility, especially when it comes to a concert like this. There was really a lot of work put in, a lot of stress, a lot of long, long rehearsals, long nights, both for the arrangements, for the compositions, and for everything, so we tried our best. I hope the audience enjoyed it. It did. Every time after the concert my heart is huge, because these are wonderful people – young and old and those in between. This is worth losing your nerves and nights for.
The audience was particularly delighted by the virtuoso's performance. Elvis Stanić, performed by Piazzolla "Libertang"One of the most awarded Croatian jazz composers, winner of 33 Porin awards, honestly admitted how surprised he was by Birnja's performance:
- The greatest stage of intimacy with music is when someone plays what they love and because they love what they do. This is the top level of an amateur symphony orchestra. People who invest so much time to make it sound like it did tonight… I have to admit that I am a little surprised, I did not expect this level. I was incredibly pleased and happy, and especially happy to see so many young people.
He concluded emotionally: - If I can say that something has truly made this difficult year better for me, then it is this evening.
Another special moment was the performance of the former conductor Damir Marušić in the composition "Children of Sanchez".
- I am extremely moved that they invited me and remembered me, to give my contribution to their festive concert. They always sound great, phenomenal. Today it is difficult to achieve that compactness in amateurism, but these societies, like Birnjo, preserve the tradition. It is the last barrier of musical amateurism and tradition.
He added that the repertoire is "demanding even for professionals," and that the audience could see all the effort behind such success.
To end the official part, the orchestra performed "Spain", a song from the program Colors of jazz arranged by Denij Pjanić, with performances by Dražen Bogdanović, Željko Milić, Elvis Stanić and Ivan Božičević.
The audience gave them two encores with their ovations:
- "Vitturi Marsch", a song written by member Mateo Laptoš on the occasion of the anniversary
- "Cantaloupe Island", another top moment in the jazz repertoire.
When the last note fell silent, only warmth remained in the hall – the kind that is born when generations come together to create something greater than themselves. Last night, Biranj showed that its strength is not only in the music, but in the people who carry it with their hearts. And such a story never ends. It continues.
Photo: Ivana Topic
