Dreaming with choir "Ivan Filipovic"
Meticulously chosen repertoire of spiritual music from the 20th century, first performed in front of audience in Slavonski Brod, met all the expectations of a concert such as this – titled "Dreaming". It was shown that today as well there are prolific authors who can stand side by side to the unquestionable old masters, and equally vividly and freshly, but in new unexplored ways, address the same topics. The audience could enjoy high aesthetical, vocal and technical level of interpretation of works, and bear witness to marvellous capabilities of human voice displayed by choir "Ivan Filipovic", guided by the perfectionst and most of all artistic hand of its conductor Goran Jerkovic. Thus its not surprising that the concert audience did not allow the conductor and the choir to leave the stage after having finished their preformance, and was therefore granted two more encores (this time by Croatian authors), awarding the performers with ovations, being deeply impressed by the Dreaming.
On the second day of the 18th "Pasionska baština" Festival 2009 we've heard, for the first time in Croatia, a famous work by Dietrich Buxtehude, an oratorio for choir, soloists and orchestra performed by Chamber Choir "Ivan Filipović", an instrumental ensemble and vocal soloists... performance was directed by an excellent maestro Goran Jerković... remarkable mixed choir, vocal soloists par excellence, splendid orchestra... A success never seen before at the crowded S. Cross Church during Lent.
Josip Magdić, a professor at the Zagreb Music Academy, 30th March 2009The audience thrilled with festival full of beautiful harmony
"...The second part of the concert was filled with enthusiasm of audience induced by really great singers of Chamber Choir Ivan Filipović. This is the result of enormous knowledge, competence and most of all the devotion of the young conductor Goran Jerković to vocal music. The young singers have proved that the numerous international awards are in right hands. Their concentrated singing of the most difficult works requires the superior performance and concentration. All that can be seen in their interpretation of the Claudio Monteverdi madrigal ('Sfogava con le stelle', 'Cruda Amarilli'), motet by Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa ('Ave dulcissima Maria') and the work of a not well-known composer in Croatia, Antonio Lotti – brilliant upholder of Gesualdo's harmonical extravagancy. Lotti's 'Crucifixus' was the culmination of the excellent performance of the choir that evening. The motets by Julije Skjavetić were equally perfect as the works of Italian composers."...
At the end of the Zagreb Baroque Festival in the crowded St. Catherine's Church
"The full St. Catherine's Church in empty Zagreb greeted with approval the final concert of the Zagreb Baroque Festival which was performed by Zagreb artists. Croatian Baroque Ensemble, soprano Ivana Kladarin and Chamber Choir Ivan Filipović under the baton of Goran Jerković showed that the new festival ZABAF (it started two years ago) is the result of the organized work of educated musicians. The works of Croatian and Italian composers were on the repertoire of the concert, but the most memorable part was especially emotional interpretation of Monteverdi, performed by the choir Ivan Filipović."
A demonstration of musical skills
"The full St. Catherine's Church was a very good place for the final concert of the Zagreb Baroque Festival, held on the 1st August... We talk about a choir which has made a significant international career in seven years of active singing. The programme consisted of beautiful examples of late renaissance and baroque motet composers, such as Julije Skjavetić, Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Lotti and Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa. The choir Ivan Filipović showed their best characteristics: harmony, softness of sopranos, stylistically compatible scale of dynamic contrasts and flexibility of rhythm changing showing the maturity of musical feelings. The choir sang as an encore 'Panis Angelicus', a little vocal masterpiece taken from the collection of motets 'Sacrae cantiones' by Ivan Lukačić."
The best from Bach opus
"The performance showed ideal balance among vocal sections, which is quite difficult to achieve in such a vocal-instrumental ensemble. The powerful sound of the choir culminated in the final Gloria."
Invocation
"Croatian Radio-Television Choir in collaboration with Chamber Choir Ivan Filipović made a compact sound and showed sensitivity in phrasing and dynamics, but without any exaggeration."
Music summer in Slavonski Brod
"Most amateur choirs are big ensembles, but this choir shows that even a less number of singers can make a full and powerful sound, and be sophisticated when necessary. This can be done with only well made vocal technique of all singers and harmony of vocal sections.
There are no more strong differences between amateur and professional choirs, what can be seen in the highly professional performance of this amateur choir. The singers were equally skilful in performing different styles, composers. There are no question marks for this choir or superficially solved singing tasks."
Choir competition – Ivan Filipović choir won the choral Olympic Gold Medal
"BREMEN – Chamber Choir Ivan Filipović directed by Goran Jerković won a gold medal in the category of chamber mixed choirs at the 3rd Choir Olympics in Bremen..."
"… although not professional soloists educated to perform on stage or trained for choral interpretation of 19th century music, but an amateur chamber choir, these young people are able to rise up to the level of the style of old, romantic or contemporary composers, doing it in an utterly modern way. As Višnja Požgaj has nicely put it, their singing is vocally fresh and balanced, cultivated, with clear intonation and diction. I can only wonder what Goran Jerković, so young and yet so experienced in choral conducting, could do with professional singers, given an opportunity to do so, if he manages to win prize after prize and thrills the audience and the critics..."
Franjo Bilić, "Croatian radio – 3rd programme", 31st January 2004Classical CD: The Chamber choir 'Ivan Filipović', A CAPPELLA, A Classic
Outstanding recordings
"Released this year, the CD of the Chamber choir 'Ivan Filipović' is the compilation of live recordings taken at the choir's concerts in Varaždin and Zagreb during the season 2001/2002. The Chamber choir 'Ivan Filipović' was established in 1998 by its present conductor and artistic director Goran Jerković in 1998. Goran Jerković takes the most credit for the ensemble's high artistic level recognised at many concerts, national and international competitions at which the choir has regularly won the highest prizes... Numerous concerts throughout Croatia could have convinced the audience that the high appreciation the choir has achieved since its founding has substantial grounds in the high quality of their cultivated musicianship. Under the baton of Goran Jerković the choir has set the criteria of the highest artistic standards as something to aim at.
Vocal miniatures
Simply titled 'A capella', this CD proves it... In each of their live recordings, the choir demonstrates very cultivated singing – powerful yet never aggressive in forte dynamics; their pianos sustain full power; their well-balanced voices contribute to the high glow of their compact sonority. As I have already once written, this choir is one of the few existing music ensembles in Zagreb really able to rival choirs at international level. This can be easily recognised by any competent listener. The CD itself deserves high praise. The quality of music performance corresponds to the quality of production at all levels. Very good recordings are the result of Vinko incek, sound engineer, and Goran Jerković, producer; the attractive design is the work of Daniel Ille, the CD was issued by A Classic. The CD is accompanied by a bilingual, Croatian-English booklet, which includes an excellent and informative text by our musicologist Hana Breko, the biography of the choir and its conductor, as well as excerpts from both Croatian and international reviews.
This splendid CD stands out from standard Croatian discography of classical music and deserves to be labelled as an outstanding release of highest quality."
'The concert jewel - 43rd Music evenings of St Donat
... the concert of the Croatian Baroque Ensemble and the Chamber choir 'Ivan Filipović' from Zagreb, held at St Krševan's...
André Campra, whose Requiem (Messe de Morts) was performed, is insufficiently known to a wider music audience. However, the audience at ST Krševan had an opportunity to witness a masterpiece of everlasting beauty, which can be put alongside great requiems, those by Mozart, Verdi, Brahms or Fauré.
A superb performance of the Croatian musicians, especially the Chamber choir 'Ivan Filipović', which was a revelation to the audience, contributed to the manifestation of the Requiem's beauty. Their singing was the evening's jewel in the crown. The choir fascinates and captures our attention with their technical brilliance and aesthetical level of interpretation. What a beautiful, well-balanced sound of their voices – coloured with a fine layer of lyrical sopranos. How amazing the beginnings of phrases and movements - created out of nowhere. How subtle are the nuances of dynamics and phrasing – and then the fade-outs. And those barely audible pianissimos. On the other hand, their fortes are sonorous but cultivated. Their breathing technique is perfect – inaudible. The expressiveness of baroque coloraturas is so soft and breezy that it leaves an impression of lightness. Rich and beautiful in all parts, clear polyphonic games and full chords – they are the real refreshment of St Donat's evenings. The greatest credit for the choir's sound and expressiveness is certainly to be attributed to their founder and artistic director, Goran Jerković, who himself joined the tenor part...