Serbian and British military bands perform joint open-air concerts
The Serbian MOD Artistic Ensemble “Stanislav Binički” and the British Waterloo Band of the Rifles performed joint concerts in Novi Sad’s and Belgrade’s city squares on June 18 and 19.
The concerts represent the continuation of cooperation between the Serbian and British military bands. In previous years, several joint concerts were performed by different bands in both Serbia and Great Britain. This time, "Binički" has hosted the Waterloo Band of the Rifles, which is part of the 7th Battalion Rifles, British Army Reserve.
The repertoire included well-known arrangements of Serbian, British and international musical compositions - from the timeless Beatles’, Morricone’s and Abba’s hits to lively kolo and čoček dances performed as part of the traditional folk dance mixes "Greetings from Serbia" and "Čair Dances", as well as the song "Fly me to the Moon" performed by a member of our mixed choir, vocal soloist Filip Vučić.
The bands were alternately conducted by Lt. Col. Aleksandar Đurov and Maj. Lawrence Sale, who greeted the audience at the beginning of their performances, expressing delight at the opportunity to give joint concerts to the citizens of Novi Sad and Belgrade.
Having performed the final number on their repertoire, the indispensable "March to the River Drina" that the audience is always eager to hear, a content and cheerful audience at Novi Sad's Freedom Square and outside the Belgrade Cultural Centre called for an encore giving the bands thunderous applause and ovation.