The Festival of Kajkavian Songs was established in 1966 and this year, on 11, 12 and 13 September, celebrates its 60th anniversary of continuous tradition. It was founded by a group of enthusiasts with the aim of preserving the musical tradition of the Kajkavian region. “Croatian patriotism, as one of the essential features of Kajkavian songs, which was systematically suppressed during the years before the realization of a free and independent Croatia, found its expression at the Krapina Festival in songs that spoke and sang about the feelings of our people and the beauties of Hrvatsko Zagorje.” (Stjepan Mihaljinec, artistic director of the Festival from 1971 to 2005).
The Festival takes place over three concert evenings. The first two evenings, scheduled for 11 and 12 September, are retrospective nights dedicated to the Festival’s 60th anniversary and feature performances of evergreen songs, compositions that have stood the test of time. The third evening, on 13 September, features a concert of new songs with the participation of prominent composers, lyricists (poets), performers, conductors and arrangers. Over six decades, more than 2,500 Kajkavian songs have been performed at this Festival.
What sets the so-called Krapina Festival apart from all other similar events in Croatia, regularly broadcast by HRT, is the mandatory performance in traditional folk costumes of the Kajkavian region (organized in cooperation with the Folk Costume Rental Service in Zagreb). This contributes to preserving traditional heritage and promoting so-called concert songs alongside, so to speak, “entertainment” ones.
In the early years of the festival, concert songs were performed at a separate concert featuring some of our most renowned composers, such as Jakov Gotovac, and the greatest names in Croatian vocal performance, including Marijana Radev, Ruža Pospiš Baldani, Nada Puttar Gold, Vladimir Ruždjak, Franjo Petrušanec and others. In later years, they have been featured to a lesser extent in the previously mentioned concerts. The Festival can proudly claim that all Croatian presidents have attended, thereby supporting and promoting the activities of the Society for Kajkavian Cultural Creation.
Damir Novina,
President of the Society for
Kajkavian Cultural Creation
“Krapina”
