The Belgrade Philharmonic, in a packed hall of the Kolarac Endowment, bade farewell to its prematurely departed chief conductor Gabriel Feltz (1971–2025) with a magnificent concert titled “In Honor of the Hero.” For the first time, they performed without a conductor, guided solely by Feltz’s finely crafted instructions.

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From the very first cue by concertmaster Miša Andruščenko, signaling that the concert could begin, the hall was overtaken by the spellbinding magic of music. The program featured the Prelude from Wagner’s opera "Tristan und Isolde" and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, "Eroica". Between the two works, a short documentary by Milan Škundrić about Gabriel Feltz and the Belgrade Philharmonic was screened. As the orchestra itself noted, the evening revealed their grandeur as both a tribute to, and an eternal legacy of, their beloved chief conductor.
Photo: Marko Đoković / Belgrade Philharmonic

These pieces were chosen with purpose, accomplishing a heroic feat in the history of world music performance: to play Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan und Isolde with a full orchestra, but without a conductor. The famous Tristan chord, the most iconic symbol of eternal longing in the history of music, became a powerful message of love for Gabriel and a remembrance of the Philharmonic’s brilliant full performance of the opera under his baton in February of this year. Beethoven’s grand Eroica, “dedicated to the memory of a great man,” carried layered symbolism of Gabriel Feltz’s entire artistic and professional path, reflecting the unique aesthetic he had woven into the performance identity of the Belgrade Philharmonic, the orchestra wrote in its statement.

That it was powerful, painful, poetic, tragic, and wondrous was confirmed by the audience’s reaction: they thanked Gabriel Feltz for his devotion and loyalty with tears and a prolonged ovation that went on and on, as the audience rose to its feet. So long, in fact, that it seemed to alter the Philharmonic’s plan to perform something more. At one point, the orchestra and the audience fused into a single solemn act of reverence for the great artist and human being who had long since become a citizen of “our village.”

As lovers of classical music lingered in the hall, recounting past Philharmonic concerts under Feltz, signing the book of condolences, and sharing impressions of the evening, the musicians withdrew to their quarters.

All the grief over Feltz’s death poured into that applause, as though a dam had burst—though it had timidly appeared earlier, in the form of tears glistening in the eyes of some musicians during the Prelude from Tristan und Isolde.

The Philharmonic’s chronicler, Dejan Kokir, employed in the technical department, captured the evening best in reflections he shared on social media after the concert “In Honor of the Hero.” With his permission, we reproduce parts of his text:

“…The applause that followed last night’s concert in honor of the recently deceased Gabriel Feltz lasted precisely 6 minutes and 20 seconds. Sound engineer Miloš gave me that figure, as the applause had been recorded. We agreed we had never witnessed anything like it; Miloš’s father Zoki, also a sound engineer, whose listening experience surpasses both of ours, said the same.
Photo: Marko Đoković / Belgrade Philharmonic

The applause had an unusual, slower rhythm, collectively adopted from the very beginning, moderated as if everyone knew—from some unspoken signal—that it would thunder longer than usual and so needed pacing; had the orchestra not left the stage, I believe it might have lasted ten minutes. All the sorrow over Feltz’s death spilled into that applause, as though breaking through a dam, though it had timidly appeared earlier in the eyes of some musicians during the Prelude from Tristan und Isolde. One of our violinists, who wasn’t playing that evening but sat in the audience, left the hall weeping during the performance of Eroica. For me, the most emotional moment came during the five-minute documentary, where, besides the departed, I saw some musicians no longer with us: Šilja, Svilar, Luna, Tarek—and in one shot, seated in the ninth row, five seats right of Tasovac, appeared our legendary cashier Boki; others like Sana, Ana, and Sanja were thankfully still with us in person.

Later, the musicians went to the club, while Đole, Marko, and I stayed behind at Kolarac—though it was Wednesday, not Friday as usual—to return instruments, scores, chairs, and stands to the Philharmonic. Routine slowly cleared the sorrow from the stage. As we neared the end, I went to the Kolarac lobby to take back the info desk, conductor’s podium, and the book of condolences. But the book was still being filled by a small woman in a red sweater, her black-rimmed glasses almost larger than her face. She wrote and wrote, filling nearly two full pages…”

In the coming season, the position of chief conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic will remain vacant. Guest conductors will appear at concerts, while the six programs originally scheduled to be led by Gabriel Feltz will instead serve as a tribute to him.

Gabriel Feltz, who unwittingly united all members of the Belgrade Philharmonic for the last time that evening, was one of Germany’s most prominent conductors, with a versatile career across opera and symphonic repertoire. He was born in Berlin in 1971, where he studied piano and conducting at the Hanns Eisler Academy. From 2001 to 2005, he served as general music director in Altenburg-Gera, and from 2004 to 2013 as general music director of the Stuttgart Philharmonic, where he won the Rachmaninov Award. He was principal guest conductor at Theater Basel (2008–2013), which was twice named Opera House of the Year during his tenure. He served as general music director of Dortmund Opera and chief conductor of the Dortmund Philharmonic from the 2013/14 season until 2024/25, during which Dortmund Opera was named Opera House of the Year in 2022.

He assumed the post of chief conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic in the 2017/18 season. Even after becoming general music director in Kiel in summer 2024, he did not part ways with the Belgrade Philharmonic. They had a special, unbreakable emotional bond.

It is therefore unsurprising, as we learn, that in the coming season the post of chief conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic will remain unfilled. Guest conductors will appear in concerts, and the six programs originally slated for Gabriel Feltz will be performed as tributes to him. A worthy homage.

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Published at Radar.rs, Septmeber 18, 2025.