The close connection between his film music and textual and sub textual messages multiplied the narrative value of the works. Directors outside of Croatia recognized this fact…



In the rich and diverse opus of the composer Alfi Kabiljo the year of the premiere and the unbelievable success of the musical Yalta Yalta (1971) marked the beginning of his music composition for film. That this happened was thanks to the wise director of FAS (Film author studio), Kruno Heidler, who in the early 1970s, upon noticing their similar interests, connected Kabiljo to the director Lordan Zafranović. This was an impossible combination, at first, because Kabiljo’s preference for popular music was incompatible with Zafranović’s tendency to extreme realism. However, as a composer of film music Kabiljo has shown great flexibility, with diverse inclinations and peculiar mixtures emerging from his film scores. For example, he frequently used so-called clusters, which are generally avoided by film composers these days. Besides, in his film music he often utilizes unusual juxtapositions between the sharp and sometimes dissonant sounds of the 20th century music and the milder, more melodic music of the 19th century. Even though he often used gimmicks of the popular music industry (where else can we place standards and musicals if not in popular music?), Kabiljo managed to create a more “classical” type of music--or at least to combine characteristics of pop and classic music.


Alfi Kabiljo created outstanding music for films by Lordan Zafranović (Ave Marija - moje prvo pijanstvo (1971), Valcer - moj prvi ples (1971), Kronika jednog zločina (Chronicle of a Crime, 1972), Mora (1976), Okupacija u 26 slika (Occupation in 26 Pictures, 1978), Pad Italije (The Fall of Italy, 1981), Vanča Kljaković (Kužiš stari moj (1972), Usporeno kretanje (Slow Motion, 1979)), Vatroslav Mimica (Seljačka buna (1975), Banović Strahinja (The Falcon, 1981)), Zvonimir Berković (Putovanje na mjesto nesreće (The Scene of the Crash, 1971)), Branko Ivanda (Zločin u školi (1982), Noć prije smrti (1983)), Zoran Tadić (San o ruži (Dreaming the Rose, 1986), Osuđeni (1987)) and others. However, he did not “make up” film music, but rather built on the previous experiences of others. He often traveled to the US, befriending famous American film score composers (Joel Goldsmith, David Raksin, and John Williams). In the US, he was influenced by the technique of leitmotif and the functional use of each musical segment. The need to describe the place and time of the film story lead him to a devoted research of musical periods and ethnic music. In the music he made for films such as Seljačka buna 1573 or Banović Strahinja, he proved himself a scholar of spiritual and secular music of the 16th century as well as for Turkish folklore and oriental instruments. We can say that Kabiljo, a trained architect who learned music from Rudolf and Margita Matz, competently managed to master musicological and ethno musical skills. With his music, he never afforded the audience an opportunity to doubt the period, location, characters or atmosphere of a film.


The close connection between his film music and textual and sub textual messages multiplied the narrative value of the works. Directors outside Croatia recognized this fact and Kabiljo worked on several foreign (mostly American) films as well (for example Winds of War (Dan Curtis, 1983), Gym Kata (Robert Clouse, 1985), Sky Bandits (Zoran Perišić, 1986), Scissors (Frank Fellitta, 1990) and others).
(Irena Paulus)



Composer’s biography:


Alfi Kabiljo was born on December 22, 1935 in Zagreb. He attended the private music school of Rudolf Matz, the great Croatian composer and pedagogue. He also graduated from Vatroslav Lisinski music school and perfected his composition in Paris. He took a degree in architecture as well. He worked as a professional composer, conductor, music arranger and producer. He wrote music for theatre, film and television, pop tunes, standards, orchestral and chamber pieces. He did several musical and film projects abroad, in Barcelona, Vienna, London, Los Angeles, Ljubljana, Madrid, Paris, and Tokyo, but mostly his career developed in Zagreb. He wrote music for about forty films and a hundred TV series. He is the author of many popular songs and standards as well as the winner of many awards at domestic and international music festivals (Zagreb, Split, Opatija, Krapina, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, Malta, Seoul, Palma de Mallorca, Cairo, Athens, Caracas, Mexico City…). His most famous musicals include Velika trka (1969 - the first musical published on a record in former Yugoslavia), Yalta, Yalta, Dlakav život, Car Franjo Josip u Zagrebu, Kralj je gol - for which Milan Grgić wrote the libretto as well as Crveni otok (Bulgakov-Kljaković-Grgić), Vjenčani list (Kishon-Kušan), Tko pjeva zlo ne misli (Britvić). TV musicals include Dramolet po Ciribiliju and Porodično stablo (Grgić). He also made several musicals for children: Hvali more, drž’ se kraja (Bjažić), Bijela pustolovina (Simonelli) and Andersenove priče (Hitrec). His ballets are Pandorina kutija i Kentaur XII. He made music for the films Scissors (with Sharon Stone), Sky Bandits, Fear, Gymkata, The Girl, Kužiš stari moj, Seljačka buna 1573 (1975 - first soundtrack in former Yugoslavia), Deps, Novinar, Gospođica, Pad Italije (The Fall of Italy), Banović Strahinja (The Falcon), Okupacija u 26 slika (Occupation in 26 Pictures), Osuđeni. He also made music for the following TV series Nikola Tesla, Mačak pod šljemom, Prizori iz obiteljskog života. His most famous and popular pop tunes are Tvoja zemlja, Nek idu lađe, Svijet je velik, Svemu dođe kraj, Prije ili kasnije, Želim malo nježnosti i ljubavi, Poljubi me za sretan put, Dan koji se pamti. His most famous standards are Parkovi, Stari akvarel, Kužiš stari moj and Na trgu ispod sata. He is the author of transcripts for string players of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (published by Doblinger). His theater plays have been performed more than 2000 times. At the Winter Olympic Games (1994, 1998, and 2002), the most famous international skaters skated with his music in the background. His musical Yalta, Yalta was performed in German in Vienna on November 22, 2004, and on February 3, 2005 in the National Theatre in Rijeka (directed by Boyko Bogdanov). Currently he is preparing another musical, Krapci, that tells the story about how the Early Man of Krapina was discovered (libretto by Lada Kaštelan) as well as Madame Hamlet, a hypothetical musical about Sarah Bernhardt who starred in the musical play Hamlet. Lyrics for this musical were written by Mate Maras.
Kabiljo was president of the Croatian Association of Composers; he is a member of the international organization FIDOF.
He has won many awards, such as Ivan pl. Zajc (1974), Golden Arenas in Pula for Seljačka buna 1573 (1976) and Banović Strahinja (The Falcon, 1981), Josip Štolcer Slavenski (1985), Milivoj Körbler (1998), Diploma of the city of Zagreb (1999), Porin for Best album of original music for theatre, film and/or TV for Kralj je gol (1997), as well as another Porin in the category of Orchestral or Vocal-instrumental Ensemble for Kentaur XII (1997). In 2004, he received the Porin for lifetime achievement.