The Symposium New Music and Musical Interpretation (1962) in the Social and Artistic Context of Yugoslavia

Organized by the Union of Music Artists of Yugoslavia and the Center for New Music, through the efforts of composer Branimir Sakač, the symposium titled New Music and Musical Interpretation took place in Opatija, Croatia, from October 19–21, 1962. This gathering aimed to examine, for the first time in our region, “the theoretical aspects of modern music, including its specific technical, acoustic, reproductive, and other issues” (Turkalj, 1983), and it attracted significant public attention, as evidenced by reports from some of the most prominent Yugoslav music critics of the time. An equally important part of this three-day educational event was the concert program, which featured works by contemporary Yugoslav and foreign composers, including electroacoustic music. Held in the context of affirming the “Western” music avant-garde in “non-aligned” Yugoslavia, and breaking with the prevailing neoclassical trend among Yugoslav composers, the New Music and Musical Interpretation symposium was dually significant. It represented an attempt to address the numerous questions raised by the first international festival of contemporary music held in Yugoslavia a year earlier - the Music Biennale Zagreb (1961) - as well as a crucial step toward establishing a national festival of contemporary music - the Yugoslav Music Panel (1964).