The 32nd Dora Pejačević Memorial is being held in Našice, a manifestation dedicated to the town's most famous daughter and one of the most recognised European composers in history. The programme began on Wednesday at the Kontesa Dora Primary Music School with a screening of the 2023 film 'Dora – Escape into Music', which explores the life of Dora Pejačević, her aristocratic origins, her life in Našice, her inner world, and her struggle for female emancipation and artistic expression at the beginning of the 20th century.
The central part of the Memorial is a two-day international symposium titled 'Dora and Her Era', which began yesterday and continues today in the multi-purpose hall of the Pejačević Palace. The symposium programme is divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The morning presentations focus on the life of the Pejačević family and its historical importance for the social life of Našice and the surrounding area, while the afternoon lectures are dedicated to the musical value of the family's legacy and the creative work of Dora Pejačević.
Among the speakers is Andrea Rakitić from the Miroslav Krleža Lexicographical Institute in Zagreb, who spoke about Count Julian Pejačević as a top-tier composer with an opus of more than 150 works. It is less well known that Count Julian was also a skilled pianist, and 28 of his songs are preserved in the Našice Local Museum as part of the Pejačević Family Collection. In addition, a newly discovered collection of his solo songs is held in the Music Collection of the Austrian National Library in Vienna.
Croatian musicologist Dr Sanja Kiš Žuvela presented an analysis of Dora Pejačević's song 'Verwandlung' from 1915, composed to the verses of Austrian writer Karl Kraus. In 1916, Kraus showed this song to Arnold Schönberg with the intention of organising its performance. Silvija Lučevnjak, director of the Našice Local Museum, highlighted the importance of the Memorial's programme for preserving the memory of Dora's life and opus. A total of 17 speakers participated in the symposium, including locals such as musicologist Dalibor Davidović, pianist Ana Šostar, and Miroslav Šarić. Lučevnjak also participated in the presentation of the Proceedings of the conference on Dora Pejačević held on 7 October 2023 in Našice.
The final event of the second day of the Memorial was a concert held in the Music Salon of the Pejačević Palace, featuring works by Dora Pejačević, Béla Kovács, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Performers included the Tambura Quartet of the Kontesa Dora Primary Music School, clarinettist Ivan Krajačić, violinist Luka Nađ, pianist Ana Šostar, and guitarist Vanesa Iličić. This concludes the 32nd Dora Pejačević Memorial, which once again presented the rich legacy of this significant composer.
