News
21. April 2026.
Foreign guests at Lisinski heard exciting stories about the Hall and the Zagreb Music Biennale
The two-day 'MBZ 34 Prelude' was announced by the Zagreb Music Biennale 2027, and colleagues from the world of music also visited Lisinski, who has been inextricably linked to the MBZ since 1975.
Representatives of European music institutions and journalists came to our Hall as part of Professor Nada Bezić's Musical Walk, with whom they visited places and institutions related to the history of the Biennale: the Mimara Museum, Museum of Arts and Crafts, Croatian national theatre, Music Academy, Gavella theater, Croatian Music Institute, Cvjetni trg, Zrinjevac... and of course, Lisinski.
They were shown around the Hall by Director Nina Čalopek, who led the Zagreb Music Biennale for 17 years, Advisor to the Director Ana Unkić, Ph.D., author of the latest monograph on Lisinski, and Editor at the Hall Hrvoje Dečak.
At an important point in Zagreb
“We are standing at one of the key points from where Zagreb began to expand beyond the old city center,” explained Nina Čalopek in front of the main entrance. She showed the guests which institutions and landmarks surround Lisinski and the future Paromlin Cultural and Social Center, now full of cranes and workers, the building who will live 24 hours a day. Ana Unkić, on the ground floor, described the arduous journey to the Hall and its final opening in 1973, under the leadership of Ivo Vuljević, the director appointed during construction.
Designers – two married couples
It is interesting that Lisinski was “built” by two married couples: architects Marijan Haberle and Minka Jurković, and architect Tanja Zdvořak and chief constructor Eugen Erlih as well. Councilor Unkić also mentioned the opening on 29 and 30 December 1973, when more than 30,000 people came to the free concerts, but even more to see the beautiful building that Croatia had never had before.
– Last year we had around 500 programs, of which around 200 were produced by the Hall – Nina Čalopek returned to the present and mentioned some of the world's greatest artists and ensembles, from almost all musical genres, who have performed in the Hall since its opening: from the Berlin, Israel and London Philharmonics, the Bolshoi Theatre, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta and the Three Tenors (separately) to Tina Turner, Ella Fitzgerald, Michel Legrand, Charles Aznavour, Chick Corea, Nick Cave, Sting...
A bridge between East and West
Ana Unkić warned that during the time of the world's division into blocs, Zagreb was one of the rare places where you could hear the greatest artists from both the East and the West. Then the guests toured the Small Hall, the only larger space of the Lisinski that has been renovated and looks different than in 1973. The director highlighted the young cycles Lisinski da camera, Lisinski srijedom and Rezidenti MUZA that take place in the Small Hall, emphasizing that this is the place in the Palace of Music where most of the MBZ programs took place:
The entire Biennale in Lisinski
– The Biennale has been present in Lisinski since 1975, when the entire festival program was performed there. In general, the biggest names in contemporary music have come, such as John Cage, Krzysztof Penderecki, Luigi Nono, Luciano Berio...
She listed many Croatian contemporary composers of world renown, describing their work, but also memories of the Biennale, which many of them personally conveyed to her.
The entire Hall building is a protected cultural asset, continued Ana Unkić, and is rich in art.
– These tapestries by Slavko Šohaj and Edo Murtić in the lobby of the Great Hall are copies, and the originals have been stored in a depot due to the ravages of time. There is also a bust of Lovro pl. Matačić, wooden and metal decorative wall panels by Marijan Haberle, and Lisinski's crystal chandeliers, popular dandelions, are his symbol next to the organ; few artists could resist taking pictures next to them – she introduced the guests.
What did Vatroslav die of?
Among the works of art, Director Čalopek stopped by the sculpture of Vatroslav Lisinski on the landing above the main staircase, the work of Vojin Bakić. She briefly described the significance of our great composer, who died so young.
– Was he murdered or was he ill? – one guest was interested. - He died of an illness, exhausted by a difficult life and a lack of understanding from his surroundings – explained the director.
Hrvoje Dečak told several anecdotes from the history of Lisinski, and the tour ended, where else but in the Great Hall, by entering from the gallery. To most visitors, The Great Hall looks most beautiful from there.
- Its acoustics soon became world-famous, and the organ is the third largest in Croatia, after those of the Zagreb and Đakovo Cathedrals – said Ana Unkić.
The hosts reminded the guests that the Eurovision Song Contest was also held in Lisinski in 1990. However, judging by the reactions, it could be concluded that outside of Croatia, the memory of the winning song Insieme: 1992 has faded considerably. The world is clearly moving faster and faster and remembering less and less what came before...
Nevertheless, it was a great pleasure to see the enthusiasm of foreign guests for Lisinski. In fact, two cordial guests from Vienna claimed that there is no such hall in their city.
Photo: Matej Grgić