Uhlik, Tomislav: EUROPEAN SOUNDSCAPES, TAMBURITZA PARAPHRASES

Tambura has been building its long path of emancipation into an artistic instrument slowly and persistently for many years. The starting point was in classical music written for it, of which there still isn’t much, but the existing repertoire was one of the important incentives for recently establishing an instrumental department for tamburitza – integrated undergraduate and university study program for instrumentalists, i.e. tamburitza players (bisernica or brač) at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, which is now seeking the creation of new tamburitza compositions of good quality. Such are the new works of Tomislav Uhlik, miniatures written for bisernica, brač and piano written in two collections of musical travels through Europe, with the addition of Croatian Soundscapes for Tamburitza Ensemble, all of which are recorded for this album. These compositions were premiered at the concert dedicated exclusively to Uhlik’s works for tamburitza on December 3, 2020 in the Bersa Hall at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, which happens to be the same year when this composer was awarded the Porin Award for Lifetime Achievement.