President Milanović Attends Commemoration in Honour of Maestro Alfi Kabiljo at Komedija Theatre
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended a commemoration in honour of composer, conductor, arranger, pianist, lyricist, and producer Alfi Kabiljo at Zagreb’s Komedija Theatre – a venue shaped by his music for more than half a century.
At the commemoration, colleagues, collaborators, and friends bid farewell to Alfi Kabiljo, who recently passed away at the age of 89.
“The musical ‘Jalta, Jalta’ became a symbol of Komedija Theatre, and his works have been performed over 1,300 times. Kabiljo created an opus that blends political satire, humour, and the nostalgic spirit of Zagreb, leaving an indelible mark on Croatian musical theatre,” said Theatre Director Miljenko Puljić at the commemoration. Since its premiere in Zagreb in 1971, ‘Jalta, Jalta’ has been performed more than 1,500 times by various theatres and ensembles, and has been translated into German, Italian, and Norwegian.
Alfi Kabiljo was very active in the Croatian Composers’ Society (HDS), serving as its President from 1992 to 1994. HDS Secretary General Antun Tomislav Šaban noted that Alfi was the only Croatian composer to have successfully worked across all genres. “He was a man of great culture, living at a remarkably refined level of civilization – such people are now exceedingly rare,” he emphasized, adding that Alfi always returned to Zagreb despite his international success.
Alfi Kabiljo composed music for theatre, film, television, popular songs, chansons, orchestral, chamber, and solo works, as well as music for children and applied music. His compositions were featured in all major festivals. In total, 106 of his works were performed across 76 festival editions. They won first prizes or achieved high rankings at numerous international festivals. Between 1968 and 1998, he took part in 30 international festivals and received 13 awards.
At the end of the commemoration, the Komedija Theatre ensemble performed the song “Neka cijeli ovaj svijet” (“May This Whole World”) from the musical ‘Jalta, Jalta’.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas