Autumn is a time to celebrate in many Eastern European countries, and Croatia is no exception. The Golden Strings of Slavonia festival in Požega is more than a musical event: it’s a tradition “nurturing the music of the endless Slavonian plains, the sounds of tambouras and love verses about family, loved ones and the homeland,-“ according to the official Croatian tourist board.
Indeed, the festival is a journey into the musical traditions of Slavonia, and according to the organizers, the Požeške „Zlatne žice“ 2011 will be richer and better than its previous editions. Besides the four main evenings on the festival stage, the festival will be extended with concerts performed by the Three Tenors – Ćiro, Kićo and Štef, Slavonski dukati, Željko Lončarić Žec and the group Sitan, TS Bisernica and guests, and many other artists.
The festival opens Thursday, September 1, 2011 with an evening of tambourine (drum) folk songs, and an ethnographic exhibition at the City Museum (Gradskom). The second day of the festival will be celebrated with a traditional Fišijada in the Orljava park, while Saturday will be filled with music, and on Sunday the participants will return to the local traditions again, with folkloric performances, and an exhibition of traditional crafts in the main Požega square. Sunday, Septamber 4, 2011 is also the last day of the festival.
The Požeški festival is considered a leader of tambura music and this year’s program will combine the tradition of the popular music with more modern music, songs that never leave the top of the radio charts in Croatia.