Who is Mirela Ivičević?
I was born in Split, Croatia, into a multi-ethnic family, so the quest for what might connect different people, cultures and, finally, sonic materials has always been an inherent part of my life.
I feel extreme joy bringing seemingly contrasting structures together in a meaningful coexistence, and you can hear that in most of my music, no matter what the subject of a certain piece is. I also try to incorporate personal experiences whenever possible, for me it’s the most honest and effective way of communicating through the arts.
If your music style were a cuisine, what would it be?
I’d definitely be a buffet. Like when you go to a party, and there is catering with all sorts of food, and you end up trying stuff that you’d otherwise never eat. A buffet also means putting different foods on the same plate that don't go together according to any laws of cuisine. And it’s weird, but still somehow tasty. Well, not always, but surprisingly often.
And sometimes, the food you taste that you are familiar with ends up being disappointing because your grandma does it way better. But then, some other thing that you didn’t even think you’d like makes you go 'wow'. And it’s surely not the menu you’d want to have every day. But you do look forward to having it from time to time.
Is there a particular moment in your career that stands out due to its humor, embarrassment or significance?
I don’t really fear embarrassment on stage, I think every artist is a bit of a histrionic personality, we’re 'okay' with attention even if it’s negative one. I remember driving for the first time to Donaueschingen with members of Klangforum Wien who were joking about who of us young composers has the biggest chance of getting booed by the audience. Because allegedly they boo you there, if they don’t like the piece. And I was mostly just thinking to myself: 'oh well, at least I didn’t spend more than a month working on that piece'. Nobody got booed that time though, it was a very successful concert. That was also when I first met Ilan (Volkov). He was conducting the concert.
I’m always very touched when I see tears in audience. Not that I compose in order to make people cry, but sometimes it happens, and it is lovely to see how music has the power to bring us humans into the state of blissfulness. It makes us feel more, in ourselves and for the others. It is one of the reasons I make music.
