Conductors of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra: A Centenary Overview

Abstract In 2023, a major European musical ensemble, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, celebrates its centennial. In the course of 100 years, this institution faced numerous obstacles, but thanks to the enthusiasm of great musicians, especially conductors, it has survived and laid the foundation for further musical and cultural development in Serbia. This article discusses the activity of the most important orchestral leaders (Stevan Hristić, Lovro von Matačić, Krešimir Baranović, Živojin Zdravković, Horst Förster, Vassily Sinaisky, Emil Tabakov, Uroš Lajovic, Dorian Wilson, Muhai Tang, Gabriel Feltz, Daniel Raiskin and Zubin Mehta), who have vastly contributed to or changed the course of the orchestra's development and left a big mark in its hundred-year-long history. In its centenary year, we will look back into the past, review the present, but also take a glimpse into the future the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra has already started to write for itself.