CHAMBER MUSIC
Ana Topalovic is active in chamber music with a particular interest in duo formations and long-term collaborations. Alongside the classical cello–piano repertoire, she has performed with pianists such as Jasminka Stancul and Mihaela Ursuleasa.
A focus of her work lies in exploring different timbral combinations in duo settings. This has led to collaborations with violin (Duo Zadory–Topalovic) and accordion (Duo Arcord). In these formations, she has worked closely with composers, resulting in numerous commissions and premieres of contemporary works.
She is the co-founder of the Green Thing Ensemble, a quartet dedicated to contemporary music, with which she has been involved in various projects and premieres. This includes collaborations with composers and participation in research-based projects such as Polytempo at the Zurich Hochschule der Künste.
In addition, she has collaborated on crossover projects with ensembles such as the Janoska Ensemble and Rojotango with bass-baritone Erwin Schrott.
Current programs include Im Volkston ↗ with harpist Elisabeth Plank and Danzas Poéticas↗ with German guitarist Radmila Besic.
Im Volkston
Folk music and folk songs are one of the foundations of many musical traditions. These melodies, shaped by shared human experiences, have been passed down across generations and cultures.
They connect universal emotions and archetypes with the unique musical language of each region, offering a rich source for reinterpretation. For composers, these elements—melody, rhythm and form—have long inspired new works across styles and periods.
In Im Volkston, Ana Topalovic and Elisabeth Plank explore these connections in a program of original works and transcriptions for cello and harp. The performance blends structured repertoire with interpretive freedom, creating a narrative arc that highlights both historical and contemporary perspectives.
The duo grew out of a long-standing artistic connection and a shared interest in developing new repertoire. Following their first performance together in Vienna in 2022 at the Treffpunkt Kunst Festival, they continued their collaboration in this program, shaped by the interplay of their instruments and a shared approach to interpretation.
The program has also been adapted as a performance for children, making these musical stories accessible to younger audiences and can be performed in connection with the main program. Details can be found on children’s program page ↗.