News & Reviews

As part of a matinée at the Munich Artists' House (Münchner Künstlerhaus), works by Richard Strauss were presented alongside compositions by German-Serbian composer Dijana Bošković. The program included Strauss's Variations on The Girl Is Angry with Me, She Quarrels with Me for String Trio No. 109 and the String Quartet in A major, Op. 2, complemented by Bošković's recent works from 2024: For My Mother and Blurred Edges for string quartet, as well as Con Fretta for string trio.

Born in Belgrade in 1968, Dijana Bošković studied flute and composition in her hometown before continuing her education in Munich and Hamburg. Her music unfolds within an expanded tonal framework and engages deeply with both spiritual and socio-political themes. A defining characteristic of her work is the synthesis of diverse musical influences—traditional folk music, jazz, and contemporary avant-garde—into a highly personal and distinctive compositional voice.

The point of departure for her string quartet is the centuries-old Kosovo lament Zaspo Janko, traditionally sung at funerals. While the source material carries an archaic intensity, the first movement is driven by powerful, rhythmically charged Balkan influences. In the second movement, these traditional references are deliberately loosened. Fixed stylistic conventions are dissolved, Bošković explains, and replaced by a freer, more open approach to rhythm and harmony. A continuous 3/4 ostinato pulse is constantly disrupted and transformed.

With Con Fretta, Bošković turns toward existential questions of our time. She describes the piece as a musical reflection on the disintegration of social and artistic structures, on disorientation and unrest in the early 21st century. The response, she suggests, lies in turning inward—returning to one's own origins. This perspective also connects Con Fretta with her new string quartet.

The audience at the Munich Artists' House responded with great enthusiasm. The Munich Philharmonic Quartet and the composer were greeted with standing ovations, and Dijana Bošković's works were met with sustained and passionate applause in the historic venue of the Allotria Art Association, founded in 1873.

For 8-part vocal ensemble (SSATTTBB) and 2 horns, or 2 natural horns in B basso & B alto (French instruments, c. 1820)