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Croatia Records Release Information

The luxury box-set Ivo Josipović: Lennon – An impressive undertaking by the record company Croatia Records

The CD + DVD and the Blu-Ray are also available without the whole box.

The project of exceptional cultural importance was created in the joint cooperation of Croatia Records, Croatian Radio Television, the Croatian National Theatre, the Croatian Society of Composers and the Music Biennale, and contains an audio and video recording of the “Lennon” opera composed by Ivo Josipović, one of our most famous composers.

The special feature of this luxury box set is that every customer will be able to listen, watch and read the “Lennon” opera on 2 LPs, CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, USB stick and in a book. In addition to the audio and video experience of the Lennon opera, the USB stick also contains the score, while the book in Croatian and English contains the complete libretto, biographies of the composer, librettist, conductor and director, music reviews and a gallery of pictures from the premiere of the opera. All this makes the “Lennon” box-set the most complex discography project so far, the first of its kind in the Yugoslavian region.

Even during his term as president of Croatia, the composer Ivo Josipović wanted to write an opera about Lennon because he was intrigued by his music, the character of his killer Chapman, but also the intriguing interpersonal relationships of Lennon and people close to him.

Describing him as a sociological phenomenon to the same extent as a musical icon, Josipović placed John Lennon and the closest people from his life in the framework of an opera of five images. The plot of the opera is centered around the murder of Lennon, and takes place from the moment Chapman shoots Lennon until the moment Lennon dies. During that time, through fantasy and agony, Lennon recapitulates his relationships with the most important people in his life.

The libretto is written by Marina Biti, professor of literary theory and stylistics at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Rijeka, on whom the music of the Beatles and Lennon had a formative effect. She wrote the libretto for the opera in a shorter form in English, while the complete version in Croatian and English can be found in the book of this box set. In it, listeners and viewers are introduced to facts related to Lennon’s life, his thoughts, activism and creativity.

The opera features ten soloists with a large symphony orchestra and choir, and the main roles are: Domagoj Dorotić (John Lennon), Marija Kuhar Šoša (Yoko Ono), Ozren Bilušić (Mark Chapman) and Dubravka Šeparović Mušović (May Fung Pang). The champions of the Croatian National Theatre, Marija Kuhar Šoša and Ozren Bilušić, were awarded the Marijana Radev Award and the Vladimir Ruždjak Award for their impressive performances. Praise also goes to the orchestra conducted by Ivan Josip Skender and the choir and ballet of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb. The excellent direction of Josipović’s opera Lennon is signed by Marina Pejnović.

The opera “Lennon” is of exceptional musical and scenic importance. Its stage content shows the spectacular story of the murder of the famous leader of The Beatles, who was shot at the entrance of his home in New York, on 8 December 1980, after which the main question that intrigued the world was: What could turn a fan into the killer of a man adored?

“The composer Ivo Josipović translated this emotional theme into music, composing the opera in an innovative and fascinating way. In addition to a distinguished career in the world of law and politics, an intense musical career and the writing of over fifty chamber music pieces for various instruments, chamber orchestra and symphony orchestra, Josipović has now presented his first opera, which you can enjoy on this recording,” wrote Dr. Adrian Eugen Hollaender in one of the reviews in the book.

The opera “Lennon” premiered on 22 April 2023 at HNK Zagreb at the closing of the Zagreb Music Biennale, and became part of the cultural project EU Opera Vision, which aims to present interesting opera productions from European theaters to the world public on a video platform. With this box set, it has become available to all opera lovers and those who, perhaps, will become so after listening.

Tracklist

Down, below Is a World of Lakes / Dolje duboko
1. Swimming in the Sky / Zaplivat ćemo zrakom 1:30
2. Assassination / Ubojstvo 4:52
3. From somewhere, from nowhere / Odnekud, niotkud 3:07
4. I Killed Him / Ubih te, Johne! 4:48
5. I Can Be Your Sun / Mogu biti tvoja svjetlost 4:48
6. Hear the Bells! / Počuj zvona 1:59
7. He Deserved to Die / Zaslužio je umrijeti 2:46
My Precious List / Sve s moje liste želja
8. Oh, what a Thrill! / Kakva li ushita! 6:55
9. Pink Is out / Ha, ružičasto ne valja? 9:02
10. A Dead Man Walking / Ja sam mrtvac koji hoda 3:44
11. Tango a tre / Tango a tre 3:10
The Time Machine / U vremepolovu
12. Open the Door, Your Mommy’s here / Otvori vrata, mama je tu 6:12
13. Do You Need a Friend? / Trebaš li prijatelja? 5:12
14. A Diversion / Diverzija 6:13
15. We Are back / Vraćamo se 2:21
The Karmic Wheel / Karmički rulet
16. Who Is Calling My Name? / Tko zaziva mi ime? 2:49
17. I Will Simply Leave / Odlazim 1:43
18. I Have Ideals / Ja imam ideale 5:26
Imagine Peace forever / Zamisli zauvijek mir
19. Going Home / Odlazim kući 2:40
20. Give Peace a Chance / Dajmo šansu miru 3:49