Music Biennale Zagreb

The idea to organize the Biennale came from Milko Kelemen, a Croatian contemporary classical composer. After studying composition under Olivier Messiaen in Paris in 1954,[12] Kelemen spent some time in Darmstadt, where he was associated with the Darmstadt School.[13] Upon returning to Zagreb, Kelemen got the impression that Croatian music was "eighty years behind", and in 1959 had an idea to organize an international festival of contemporary music.[13] However, Zagreb Mayor Većeslav Holjevac was not interested until Kelemen threatened to organize the festival in Belgrade instead; even then, Holjevac could provide funding in domestic currency only, leaving the would-be organizers unable to pay any compensation to foreign participants.[13]

Kelemen nevertheless had a plan. He visited Yekaterina Furtseva, Minister of Culture of the Soviet Union, and — knowing she was an ardent communist — told her that the influence of the United States and the West was getting stronger in Yugoslavia, so Soviet musicians were needed in Zagreb. She not only accepted immediately, but also agreed to cover all expenses.[13] After that, Kelemen traveled to Washington and spoke to the State Department, this time arguing that Russian influence in Yugoslavia was very strong and that the Russians had already applied for performing in Zagreb. He asked for Americans to join in, and was again successful.[13] Once Soviet and American participation was secured, Kelemen found that attracting the rest was "fairly easy".[13] Still, his organizing efforts earned him two days in prison under interrogation by the Yugoslav secret police, because his frequent trips to Soviet Union and the USA were deemed suspicious.[13] In the end, the first Biennale was a success noted even by The New York Times, which published a half-page review of the event.[13]

One of the stars of the 2nd Biennale in 1963 was John Cage. Shortly before Cage was due to perform, Kelemen was warned by the authorities that any "antics" onstage such as crawling under the piano would lead to the festival being banned. Kelemen immediately relayed this to Cage, warned him about endangering the festival, and asked him to promise he would not crawl under the piano. Cage agreed, yet, as soon as his performance started, he did exactly that. This caused a sensation among the audience; according to Kelemen, "people went crazy" and gave Cage a big applause in the end.[13] The 1963 edition also featured the world premiere of Witold Lutosławski' Trois poèmes d'Henri Michaux, commissioned for the Biennale by Slavko Zlatić, the director of the Radio Zagreb Choir, and conducted by the composer himself.[14]

The 3rd Biennale in 1965 was visited by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Bruno Maderna, Pierre Schaeffer, and Olivier Messiaen.[2]

Professor of law, politician and composer Ivo Josipović was the Biennale's director from 1991 to 2010, when he assumed the office of the President of Croatia.

The 8th Biennale in 1975 was the first to feature performances in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, a large hall and convention center that had opened in December 1973. Up to that time, the Biennale's mainstream events were held mostly in the Croatian National Theatre.

At the 10th Biennale in 1979, a performance by Tomislav Gotovac caused some controversy. On 2 May, one hundred participants at the Republic Square (today's Ban Jelačić Square), instructed by Gotovac, blew their whistles in accordance with the music score drawn in squares on the sidewalk. At one point, Gotovac unexpectedly stripped naked and started running from square to square. This was the first ever streaking act in Zagreb.[15][16][17]

In 1981, rock music was introduced to the Biennale, with a closing-night concert that featured Classix Nouveaux and Gang of Four, together with some of the most prominent Yugoslav new wave bands Električni Orgazam, Laboratorija Zvuka, Haustor, and Šarlo Akrobata.[18]

Alexander García Düttmann's lecture in the Mimara Museum, 25th Music Biennale, April 2009

A concert by the Slovenian avant-garde music band Laibach at the 1983 Biennale caused a huge scandal.[19][20] As a part of their music act, they reproduced speeches by the late Yugoslav president Tito while simultaneously displaying a pornographic film.[20] The show was eventually interrupted by the police,[19][21] and the Biennale once again came on the verge of being abolished.[20] The festival's already exhausted art director Igor Kuljerić had a nervous breakdown and absconded to the island of Silba.[20][22]

The 21st Biennale in 2001 lasted ten days, which was its longest duration to date.[23]

The Biennale's 25th edition was held from 17 to 26 April 2009 at multiple venues, including Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, Croatian National Theatre, Gavella Drama Theatre, and Mimara Museum.[24] Its theme was "Art & Politics".[7]