Ivan Marović: Kotor as a life inspiration

Ivan Marović, composer, received his primary and secondary music education at ŠOSMO “Vida Matjan” in Kotor, piano department, after which he enrolled in composition studies at the Music Academy in Cetinje. In the meantime, he started to deal with jazz and applied music, as well as improving himself at seminars with prof. Jan Jirasek, Detlev Miller-Siemens, Stjepko Gut, Ralet Mićić. He is the author of music for numerous theater plays, including “Art export” (directed by L. Dedović), “Medeia” (directed by S. Milatović), “Dobri Zloćko” (directed by P. Pejaković), “Oro iz bajke” (directed by B. Lungov), “Don Juan” (directed by A. Vukotić), “Čaura” (authors T. Vujošević and S. Nelević), “Command Performance” (directed by P. Kirby), “The Pirate of Ulcinj” (directed by M. Karadžić ) and others.

How would you describe your musical style and how have you developed it over the years?

Over the years I have dabbled in various styles, from classics, through jazz and rock music, to electronics. I like to play with styles in general, although the older I get, the more I gravitate towards a particular direction, I’ve been trying in recent years to “anchor” myself in something that I think best expresses my character. What I’m currently creating for my gig is an atmospheric fusion of jazz and surf-rock.

What were your biggest challenges in composing music for theater performances? Does any play stand out in your opinion?

The biggest challenges were projects in which the director, on the one hand, does not have the time or will to deal with the musical segment of the play, and at the same time he wouldn’t even have enough trust in me to allow me to come to a solution on my own. Then, in that case, I would play the role of a sorcerer-guesser, and try to screw up anything and everything until I guess what the director will approve, with a variable percentage of success.

Fortunately, such situations were not frequent, but they happened. .

The exact opposite of such an approach was working with the deceased. Slobo Milatović, who had complete trust in me, which would result in creative freedom and honesty that both experts and the general public would recognize. One such collaboration that I single out is the play “Medea” directed by him, for which I received an award for music at the Montenegrin Theater Biennial. “Faith, Hope, Love” by Ana Vukotić and “Zelena Gora” by Branko Ilić. And those were nice experiences. The music from those plays is something that for me is not just a job well done, but something I’m proud of. I could give more such examples, but I think that’s enough.

Kotor is known for its rich cultural history and heritage. How does this affect your work as a composer? What is your favorite thing about Kotor and how does it inspire your music?

In Kotor I was formed and as a person and as a musician, I wrote the first notes at the Kotor Music School, and received the support of my teachers to continue. In addition to the music school, I followed the work and learned from legendary Kotor musicians such as Bobo Nikolić, Riki Ristelić, Dragan Ivanović and others, whom I watched from the sidelines admiring them at first, and later had the opportunity and honor to play with them.< /p>

I don’t need to emphasize how inspiring Kotor’s walls and ambience are. Admittedly, my favorite time of year to spend in Kotor is winter, which may sound strange to some. When the streets are empty, when there is no noise and bustle, the spirits of Kotor can be heard more clearly. That always stimulated my imagination, that Kotor winter melancholy.

What locations and activities would you recommend to visitors who want to discover the spirit of Kotor?

As a high school student, he would often use the multi-hour breaks between music school lessons to explore either the San Giovanni fortress, or go to the Škurda spring. From San Giovanni, I would often know to go down to Špiljare. Then I could quickly stretch out and crawl between the karsts, now it would be a little more difficult for me. So, if you are in good shape, I recommend it.

How did your stay in other countries and cities affect your work and creativity? Is there a country or a city that particularly sticks in your memory?

I would single out Grožnjan, a small town in Istria, where I attended a jazz seminar one summer. I met a lot of wonderful people there and great musicians who also traveled there from different countries. The city itself is beautiful and mystical, an ideal location for artistic content.

How would you describe the collaboration with other artists, such as directors and actors, in the process of creating music for theater performances?

I have already answered this question to some extent, a should I add this: I’ve done music for about thirty plays, and each of those experiences has been quite different. There are directors who leave everything to me, and there are those who know exactly what they want, and that, for example, can make the process quite easy and speed up for me. I like when I get clear instructions, with precise descriptions, duration, musical references, etc. and I also like when I have creative freedom. The only thing I don’t like, as I mentioned before, is when I have neither.

What have been some of your biggest career challenges and how did you overcome them?< /strong>

The biggest challenge for me is to become part of the Berlin music scene, the city where I currently live. I haven’t overcome that challenge yet, and I don’t think I will overcome it easily.

Because hundreds of musicians come to Berlin every year, the competition is strong and there simply isn’t enough room for everyone, and I’m not even at the age where I have energy and will to compete and break through. So my musical engagements are still mostly connected to Montenegro, and in all likelihood it will remain so.

But it’s not something I regret a lot – in addition to the fact that I have the most business opportunities in Montenegro. and professional connections, being at home inspires me the most, that’s where I make the best music.

Do you think that music is a universal language that can connect people of different cultures and languages? How does it affect your work?

For the purposes of this conversation, I will agree that music is a universal language, but on a more complex level, which would require analyzes such as can be found in thick books, not everything is so clearly defined.

But generally speaking, I believe that all art is a communication phenomenon, which enables conversation not only between cultures, but also between eras.

That makes me , among other things, makes me think about what I actually want to communicate.

How would you describe the process of creating music for film or television? Is it different from the process of creating music for a theater performance?

The process has points of contact, but it is also significantly different. The film also includes a montage with which the music has to count. Second, the emotion on screen is different from that on stage. Just as theater acting differs from film acting in the presentation of characters, where the actors are much louder, more literal, and the emotions are more emphasized, music for the stage is often less subtle than film.

Of course, these are some rough generalizations, exceptions. and different approaches certainly exist.

How do you see the future of music and composition in Montenegro and the region?

Montenegro talents for there is certainly no shortage of music, so I’m not worried about the future. What is missing is better institutional and media support for domestic original music. However, when people talk about the situation on the Montenegrin music scene, they often forget one thing – in order for music to come to life and create an authentic scene, you need an audience that consumes it all. We cannot write music only for ourselves and institutions. And unfortunately, a lot of our work boils down to that.

How would you describe the importance of music in your life and how it is intertwined with your identity as a resident of Kotor?< /strong>

Music is an indispensable part of my personality and identity. I decided that music would be my vocation at a very early age, and my whole life path was determined by music.

That path began in Kotor, and I often wonder, if it weren’t for Kotor, would I ever been a musician. My mother attended the Kotor Music School, and on her initiative I enrolled in the piano as a kid. My maternal grandfather, Dušan Čelanović, was a great lover of music and played several instruments. He and his crew gathered and played in the premises of the Fire Department in Kotor, and their band was aptly called the “Firemen’s Jazz Band”.

One interesting thing happened when I performed once with Riki Ristelić and Dragan Ivanović. – quite by chance we found out that my grandfather and their fathers used to play together in a band… Well, we, as their descendants, gathered in Kotor, even though each of us lives abroad, and we were not even aware of that “pedigree” …

Could you give us an insight into some of your current projects and plans for the future?

I am planning to record an album in the summer, if finances allow. It will be instrumental music, in the style I mentioned earlier, which has been keeping me busy lately.

I am currently writing music for a documentary film by Senad Šahmanović, which deals with the last, unfinished feature film by Živko Nikolić. It is an interesting project, which includes unedited material that Živko Nikolić worked on, as well as a documentary about Živko.