The traditional concert led by the Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Tomislav Fačini, and joined by the Croatian Radio and Television Choir and the best Croatian opera artists of the younger generation, soprano Darija Auguštan, countertenor Franko Klisović, tenor Roko Radovan and baritone Leon Košavić, closed the 74^th Dubrovnik Summer Festival last night, 25 August in front of the Cathedral. With the sounds Igor Kuljerić’s Canzoniere and the verses of Dubrovnik's Renaissance and Baroque poets, Dubrovnik actors and musicians put away the Libertas flag until next summer.

The crown of the rich musical programme of the 74^th Dubrovnik Summer Festival was last night's magnificent concert in front of the Cathedral. A resplendent quality of sound, high level of polished and well-coordinated playing and singing, harmony of perfectly precise intonation and powerful runs to sonorous climaxes graced every composition of the unique repertoire, starting with Respighi's four-movement symphonic poem I pini di Roma and Bernstein's ethereal Psalm 23 from the Chichester Psalms. After the opera sections of Gira la cote!... Perchè tarda la luna? from Puccini's Turandot, Ninfe! Elfi! Silfi!... Sul fil d’un soffio etesio from Verdi's Falstaff, Il cavallo scalpita and Viva il vino spumeggiante from the opera Cavalleria rusticana by Mascagni, in which soprano Darija Auguštan, countertenor Franko Klisović, tenor Roko Radovan and baritone Leon Košavić shined, their deep love for music and art radiating from every passage, no matter how challenging. The exciting bars of Polovtsian dances from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor preceded the final shining piece of the evening, Igor Kuljerić's composition Canzoniere, written to music the texts of the Dubrovnik Renaissance and Baroque poets Hanibal Lucić and Ivan Bunić Lučić and authors from Dinko Ranjina's anthology. The first version of the composition, under the title Leute moj [Leut of Mine], was premiered at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival 45 years ago. The interweaving of music, singing and recitation by theatre artists Maro Martinović and Jelena Miholjević accompanied actors Doris Šarić-Kukuljica, Perica Martinović, Mirej Stanić, Nikša Butijer and Marin Klišmanić as well as musicians Vanda Đanić, Đive Franetović Kušelj and Stijepo Medo during the unveiling and folding of the Libertas flag, a symbolic ceremony which officially closed the 74^th Dubrovnik Summer Festival.