Goran Bregović and the Wedding and Funeral Orchestra at Hala Orbita for Ethno Jazz Festival’s anniversary

The Wedding and Funeral Orchestra of the Sarajevo-born son of a Serbian mother and Croatian father combines Balkan musical traditions with incredible ease. Bregović openly admits his love of rock'n'roll, conducting the brass orchestra while playing electric guitar and giving the dancing audience no time to catch its breath.

Nobody in Poland has escaped his hits, including “Kalašnjikov”, “Mesečina”, “Ausência” with Cesária Évora and the hit Kayah duet “Prawy do lewego”. The incredible energy filling the composer’s work wins legions of fans, makes heads spin and invites dancing. Bregović’s music synthesises Romani rhythms and European chords, a killer brass-band sound and traditional polyphony, sharp guitars and pop melodies full of deceptive sweetness.

Bregović is also a true one-man orchestra. From 1974 to 1989, he played in Bijelo Dugme, one of Yugoslavia’s most popular bands. He developed a close working relationship with another Sarajevo resident, the outstanding director Emir Kusturica. This unexpected collaboration produced the remarkable, unsettling films “Czas Cyganów”, “Arizona Dream” and “Underground”. For his music for the last of these, Bregović received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. He has recorded with Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora, revived Krzysztof Krawczyk’s career and performed his music with an extraordinarily diverse range of ensembles. These span small groups and orchestras through to enormous projects involving brass and string players, Bulgarian male choirs and artists from the countries where he happens to be performing.

The concert at Orbita Hall will feature both Bregović's greatest hits and music from his latest album, “Champagne for Gypsies”. One thing is certain: there will be Polish touches and musical surprises. The artist loves Polish audiences, and they return that love by dancing breathlessly at his concerts. This Balkan volcano will erupt at full force in Wrocław!

▶