Concert master of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the Croatian Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra and the Zagreb Philharmonic
kept in Zagreb in the treasury of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts,
built by Guiseppe Guarneri in 1735.
| Goran Končar Goran Končar, one of the most prominent Croatian violinists, born 1954, studied at the Zagreb Music Academy in the classes of Martin Borić and Josip Klima. He achieved his M.A. degree in the class of Leonid Kogan at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. He continued his musical training with Max Rostal in Bern and Henryk Szeryng in Geneve. Then he continued studying under Yfrah Neaman in London to become his assistant at the Guildhall School of Music in the period 1981 -– 1983. He started his international soloist career in 1982, undertaking guest tours in most European countries, the USA, Japan and Israel. In the period from 1984 to 1994 he was concert master of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the Croatian Radio & Television Symphony Orchestra and the Zagreb Philharmonic. He also performed in many concerts with eminent orchestras and conductors throughout the world. Končar is the recipient of many first and special awards at numerous national competitions in the country, as well as the Music Life award in Moscow (1980) for the performance of the Concerto for the Violin and Orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich, the first prize at the International Competition in Bratislava (1984) and other top acknowledgments. The long list of his awards includes the outstanding Vladimir Nazor Award (2006). Končar’s first disc was published in 1984 by EMI in London, and he has also recorded for the BBC, CBS, France Musique, HRT and other radio and television stations. Croatia Records published one of the rare integral performances of Eugene Ysaye’s solo violin sonatas.  From 1987 to 2012 he directed the Zagreb Quartet and for the quarter of the century he embedded his skill and art into the existence of this oldest chamber ensemble, not only in Croatia but in Europe as well. The Zagreb Quartet was established as far back as 1919, and for the period of almost a century it was a basis of the tradition of chamber music-making in Croatia; in this tradition Goran Končar is certainly one of the pivotal personalities. During this period he appeared in more than 2,000 concerts, and under his guidance the Zagreb Quartet had more than 1,000 performances, appearing on all continents in best known world concert halls, and cooperated with a large number of Croatian and foreign soloists. |
Goran Končar accompanied with Stephen Kovacevich on piano, in St Martin in the Fields, London 1992,
after the humanitarian concert for helping the city of Dubrovnik. Other participants of this concert were
Martha Argerich, Alex Rabinovich and Ida Gamulin (who kindly sent us this information).
Goran Končar accompaning Danijela Martinović and Lidija Dunjko during the European Song Contest in Jerusalem in 1995.
Goran Končar and Ljerka Končar-Gamulin, father and daughter
Zagrebački gudački kvartet (Zagreb String Kvartet)
Formated for CROWN by Darko Žubrinić
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