LADO taking Croatian folk Christmas concerts abroad

(Photo credit: LADO)

For the past thirty years, LADO has been systematically exploring Croatian folk sacred music, and this year, they are presenting the premiere of the concert “Skupno braćo zapjevajmo” (Let Us Sing Together, Brothers). 

LADO will perform its Christmas program in Novska on December 11th at the Church of Blessed Alojzije Stepinac and on December 12th in Marija Gorica at the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Visitation. 

It is particularly exciting that this concert will be performed abroad as part of a tour in Germany, organised in collaboration with Croatian Catholic parishes in Germany and in partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Frankfurt, with financial support from the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture and Media.

LADO will perform on December 15th in Wiesbaden, December 16th in Frankfurt, and December 17th in Mainz. Upon their return to Croatia, concerts are expected in the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua in Zagreb on December 20th and a concert in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven in Varaždin on December 21st.

The repertoire of the LADO Ensemble is continuously expanding and enriching, allowing the audience to enjoy new pieces. “Skupno braćo zapjevajmo – O jabuko zeleniko” is the common title for carols, a total of seven from the Dubrovnik region, with musical arrangements by Vicko Dragojević. 

(Photo: LADO)

Celebrating Christmas with song is a unique experience, and the customs and practices of festive visits have persisted to this day in many Croatian regions, especially in Dubrovnik and its surroundings. 

One of the oldest written records of carolling in Croatia is found in the Statute of the Republic of Dubrovnik from the year 1272. In this premiere, we will hear how Christmas greetings were conveyed through song in the southernmost part of Croatia – in Dubrovnik, Cavtat, Dubrovnik River, Osojnik, Trsteno, Ponikve on Pelješac, and the islands of Vis and Lastovo.

The audience will also enjoy Christmas folk songs “Let Us Rejoice and Sing” from Slavonia, Baranja, and Bačka, premiered by LADO as part of the Christmas program in 2022.

The energetic and inspired performances by the LADO Ensemble leave no one indifferent. Entrance to all concerts is free, except for the concert in Varaždin, for which tickets will be available for purchase from December 1, 2023, through the box office of the Varaždin National Theatre.