LOUISVILLE, Ky. 鈥 鈥淥n the Guarding of the Heart,鈥 a piece for chamber orchestra by Serbian-born composer Djuro Zivkovic (joo-ROH鈥 zhiv-KOH鈥-veetz), has won the 2014 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.
The 20-minute work 鈥渕akes a huge emotional journey in a relatively short period of time, moving through many landscapes between the mysterious, moody opening and the ecstatic conclusion,鈥 said award director Marc Satterwhite.
鈥淭he composer also makes wonderful use of the colors of the 14-piece ensemble. The instruments are used in fascinating ways, both traditional and otherwise 鈥 that shape the sound of unnatural, echoing beauty,鈥 he said.
Zivkovic, 38, describes the piece as an 鈥渋nstrumental cantata鈥 inspired by the religious music of Bach. Its main theme is the need to return to oneself.
鈥淚t is about hard-achieved detachment, stillness and watchfulness, it鈥檚 about solitude and exile,鈥 the composer said.
Born in Belgrade in 1975, Zivkovic has lived in Stockholm, Sweden, since 2000. He is active as a violinist and violist鈥攚ith a special interest in improvisation鈥攁nd teaches at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Austrian ensemble Klangforum Wien gave the first performance of 鈥淥n the Guarding of the Heart鈥 in November 2011 in Belgrade. The piece also has been performed in Vienna and Bergen.
UofL presents four Grawemeyer Awards each year for outstanding works in music composition, world order, psychology and education. The university and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary jointly give a fifth award in religion. This year鈥檚 awards are $100,000 each.
For more details on the awards or to download Zivkovic’s photo, see .