The Bosnian musician Goran Bregovic is the brightest representative of Balkan folk rock. In recent years, his performances with the ensemble Wedding and Funeral Orchestra have enjoyed great success. In addition, Goran Bregovich has a reputation as a wonderful film composer. In particular, he wrote music for several films of Emir Kusturica.
Early years and participation in the Bijelo dugme group
Goran Bregovic was born in the Yugoslav city of Sarajevo (now it is the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina) in March 1950. When Goran was small, his parents divorced (the main reason for the divorce was his father's addiction to alcohol), and Bregovich remained with his mother.
It is known that Goran Bregovich learned to play the violin in a music school, but he was soon expelled with the phrase "for lack of talent." In the future, he never received a professional musical education.
In 1970, Bregovich first tried himself as a composer, and soon became a member of the rock band Jutro ("Morning"). On January 1, 1974, the group was renamed Bijelo dugme ("White Button"). It was in this rock band that Goran Bregovic gained popularity in Yugoslavia. Over the fifteen years of their existence, the guys from Bijelo dugme have released nine albums (the first was called "Kad bi 'bio bijelo dugme" and the last was "Ciribiribela") and created some catchy videos.
At this time, Goran, who basically wrote the lyrics and melodies for "Bijelo dugme", became a real rock star. He bought expensive cars, eagerly wore Western clothes and shocked the audience in every way, creating himself the image of a bully and a rebel.
Bregovich as a film composer
In 1977, Goran Bregovic wrote the music for the film "Cloud of Butterflies" directed by Zdravko Randić, and this was his first such work.
But Bregovic gained true fame as a film composer when he created music for the famous film by Emir Kusturica “Time of the Gypsies” (1988). This painting was awarded the "Silver Palm Branch" at the Cannes Film Festival and glorified its creators all over the planet. Kusturitsa also collaborated with Bregovich in the creation of two more of his films ("Arizona Dream" and "Underground"). In addition, the music of the Bosnian composer can be heard in the tape “Turkish Gambit” by Janik Fayziev, in the comedy “Borat” by Larry Charles and in the Brazilian series “Save and Save”. In general, Bregovich soundtracks are characterized by an alloy of rock stylistics, gypsy melodies and Slavic musical motifs.
Performances and recordings of recent years
From 1998 to the present day, Bregovich has been performing his music at various venues with the band Wedding and Funeral Orchestra. In the small version, this band consists of nine, and in the expanded version - of nineteen people. In the spring of 2015, Goran Bregovich together with the ensemble Wedding and Funeral Orchestra gave a concert in Sevastopol, after which the Ukrainian authorities forbade the Bosnian composer to enter the country.
Of interest to the audience, of course, are other Bregovich projects. So in 2000, he recorded the album "Kayah & Bregovic" with the singer Kaya, and in 2003 the album "Daj mi drugie zycie" with the Polish musician Kravchik. Bregovic was also the author of music for the song “Ovo јe Balkan”, which Serbian singer Milan Stankovic performed at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. And in 2017, the Bosnian composer took part in the recording of the song "El Futuro Es Nuestro" by Puerto Ritanian rapper Residente.
