After twenty years of being a side programme, Polyphony has taken the centre stage! Due to the pandemic, everything is postponed until the next year, but the Polyphony team was given the chance to give us a glimpse into all segments of their programme.
The block called The Play for Life, based on a famous fable by the literary author Ivo Andrić, a story about a little sheep named Aska who, confronted with a deadly danger, a wolf, starts dancing and, mesmerizing him with her skill saves her own life, is often used as a metaphor for art which nourishes, lifts, and even saves lives. This year, Polyphony included two performances directly based on that story, but also a performance about another fragile yet strong being who relied on art - Anne Frank. She did not manage to save her own life, but she did leave us a piece of writing that has inspired people ever since, teaching us how to resist and persevere in times of horror and adversity.
Over the two hours, we have not only seen filmed segments from the three performances, but also heard a chamber orchestra, a segment from an online panel discussion, a live performance, as well as interviews with the authors.
After those two hours of compelling, informative, and intriguing Polyphony-Prologue, we can rest assured that Polyphony is not at the edge of the future - they have bravely stepped into it.
We are looking forward to seeing it all next year.
Vesna Radovanović
