Miloš Karadaglic – "Mediterraneo"

The guitar is currently one of the most popular instruments. If we take into account its omnipresence in the world of rock and popular music, its relatively low price (of course, I mean the cheapest models), and its small size, it is hard to be surprised that the guitar reaches households much more often than other instruments. In many cases, however, it quickly starts to gather dust, as it is an instrument that requires, like any other, many hours of hard work and tedious practice to achieve satisfying results.

So let’s forget about those amateur guitarists who call themselves musicians despite not being able to read the simplest sheet music. Let’s forget for a moment about purely recreational guitar playing by the campfire. Let’s meet a guitarist with a capital G – a musician and virtuoso – Miloš Karadaglic.

Miloš’s first guitar also gathered dust, spending the autumn of his life hidden in his parents’ room. There were no musicians in the Karadaglic family, but music was always loved, and the world of melodies fascinated the boy enough to voluntarily and unforcedly go to music school. And so, through the process of elimination (his parents could not afford a larger instrument, nor did they have enough courage for the violin), a family invalid with a few missing strings ended up in Miloš’s hands, and with it, a dream was born to become a rock guitarist. With the guitar in hand, Miloš went through 6 years of solid musical education, as he himself says, 'with all that sol-fa' and learning to play the chosen instrument. He abandoned the dream of becoming a rock star thanks to a guitar performance of <em>Asturias</em> by Albeniz. It was precisely because of this well-known piece (infused with the atmosphere of flamenco, but originally written for piano) that Miloš realized that being a star of classical music could be even more fascinating than playing rock music.

The war that left a bloody mark on the Balkan Peninsula in the early 1970s fortunately bypassed Montenegro – Miloš’s homeland. However, it was felt, and the country lived in unrest. In such moments, as Miloš recalls, music can be the last thing we are able to remember, and yet it helps to detach from reality, providing comfort: '

'I remember once when the power was cut off, and we were trying to keep warm. My mother suggested that I bring the guitar and play something. We thought that music would not allow us to give up.'

In the meantime, Miloš’s skills developed at an extraordinary pace. He never had a problem with public performances, because as he says: 'Without an audience, I am incomplete. The audience makes me feel alive.'

After the borders opened, the first country he visited was France. Paris, where he gave a small concert, enchanted him with its festive colors. There, Miloš’s parents also spent all their savings on his first professional guitar, thanks to which he could develop his skills at a much higher level. This was enough for Paris to become a truly magical place for the young musician.

Another important step in Miloš’s life was meeting the classical guitarist David Russell in Italy. He recognized Karadaglic’s talent and advised him to study at the Royal Academy of Music. At that time, the vision of studying at this renowned institution seemed to Miloš a crazy dream. Yet, two years later, he sent his recording to the Academy and at the age of 17 was accepted. He was awarded a scholarship and assigned to Michael Lewin’s class. It was under his wing that the young musician from Montenegro began to hone his craft. Miloš remembers these years as a time divided between work and sleep, which is further proof of the immortal recipe for success: 95% work plus 5% talent. This commitment soon began to bear fruit. Miloš performed at the prestigious Lucerne Festival, as well as at London’s Widmore Hall and Purcell Room. He collected awards: Ivor Mairants in 2002, Julian Bream in 2005, and the Prince of Wales Award (the first time awarded to a guitarist).

Karadaglic’s debut album 'Mediterraneo', released this autumn, is the essence of the Mediterranean spirit. 'The guitar came to Spain thanks to the Moors and brought with it a strong Arab influence,' explains Miloš. 'My part of the world and the eastern part of the Mediterranean region were under the strong influence of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, so there is an obvious connection between the eastern and western parts of the region. That is exactly what I wanted to showcase on the album, from the perspective of someone who is exactly in the middle.' The material that found its way onto the album includes the creativity of Enrique Granados, Isaac Albéniz, and Francisco Tárrega, but also works by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, as well as a pair of pieces of Turkish origin and new arrangements of Montenegrin folk songs.

Alongside the aforementioned <em>Asturias</em>, the album could not lack the piece by Italian composer and guitarist Carlo Domeniconi. His <em>Koyunbaba</em> embodies what lies at the very center of Mediterranean culture – namely, the sea. The waves flow in the rhythm of the waves, here you can hear the uneven dynamics of the sea and melancholy. It is precisely in this piece that Miloš discovered echoes of his Balkan childhood right after arriving in London. It is therefore not surprising that for him this piece has an extremely nostalgic significance.



It is hard to say whether the album '<em>Mediterraneo</em>' will initiate a renaissance of the guitar – an instrument that experienced its golden age in the 1970s. This is undoubtedly Miloš’s dream, and considering that difficulties have never been anything more than a challenge for him, we have reason to believe that he will succeed. The instrument that the young musician fell in love with at the age of 9 is worth getting to know better, and it is precisely from its classical side. As Miloš shows, the possibilities of the guitar are vast, if not infinite, and the soft sound has no equal. It is worth listening to this young musician, even though the stories he tells smell of Mediterranean summer. It is worth listening live, as Miloš is currently on his first concert tour (details at www.milosguitar.com) and needs listeners just as we need a bit of Mediterranean sunshine in the middle of winter.