Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra returns to the UK

Croatia’s Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra will this week begin a 6-concert tour across the UK, appearing in the country for the first time since 1974. Starting this Thursday (7 April) in Basingstoke and running for a week with performances in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Nottingham and Cheltenham the tour will culminate in a final concert in London’s Cadogan Hall on 14 April.

The tour symbolises the orchestra’s recovery from both the pandemic and from a serious earthquake which hit the Croatian capital on the morning of 22 March 2020, killing one and injuring 27 others. With a magnitude of 5.5 and aftershocks of magnitude 5, the earthquake damaged more than 1,900 buildings in Zagreb, causing an estimated 86 billion Croatian kuna (over £9.5 billion) in damage.

Mirko Boch, the orchestra’s director, said: ‘Even though apartments and houses of many of our members were damaged in the earthquake, we didn’t lose heart but instead, members of the Philharmonic showed from their homes how much we love our city, and that the strong spirit of artists will never be discouraged.'

As well as the orchestra, this month’s tour will feature Croatian soprano Marija Vidović and British violinist Tamsin Waley Cohen, led by British conductor Jan Latham-Koenig. The programme will include works by Sibelius and Mahler, alongside a revival of the music of Dora Pejačević.

Boch added: 'It feels like such a huge achievement, especially in the present circumstances, to bring the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra to the UK for the first time since 1974… From the moment when the coronavirus appeared in the Republic of Croatia and the horrific earthquake in Zagreb, the Philharmonic didn’t stop the work of their extraordinary artists.’

Active since 1871, the Orchestra was officially named the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra in 1920. it acquired the name it still bears today. The orchestra works to promote music in Croatia and work as a cultural ambassador for the country Croatia.

You can find out more about the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra here.