Recycling Postmodernism. Trendsetters, Trends and Pandora, Double Concerto for Viola, Cello and Chamber Orchestra (2022) by Lazar Đorđević

Pandora, a double concerto for viola, cello and chamber orchestra was written by Lazar Đorđević (b. 1992) as the final work for his DMus degree, and premiered on 2 February 2022 in Belgrade. Pandora draws many parallels with the works by Đorđević’s supervisor, Zoran Erić (b. 1950), one of the most prominent Serbian postmodern composers; yet, Đorđević’s own “postmodernism” is very different from that of his predecessors. Pandora thus provides an opportunity to rethink various tendencies and trends among the Serbian composers of the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, which have left an imprint on the youngest generation, including the several interchanging “cycles” (or circles) of avant-garde and postmodernism. Has Pandora, with its sonic qualities and experimental drive, escaped the trends or actually reinforced them?