Frano Parac (Split, 11 May, 1948) graduated in music theory (1972) and composition (1975, in the class of Stanko Horvat) from the Zagreb Academy of Music and then went to Italy (1977/78) to study with Marino Zuccheri at the Studio di fonologia musicale della RAI in Milan. From 1972-1977 he taught at the Blagoje Bersa Music School. Since 1978 has been teaching at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, where from 1985-1987 he was also the Dean, and nowadays is a full professor in the Department of Composition and Theory of Music. Until 1977, when he wrote Metamorphoses for baritone and chamber ensemble, Paraæ’s music was oriented toward contemporary musical language, but it was at the same time governed by an Apollonian interpetation of music, in which “Parac was primarily interested in sound, form and play.” In this period particular mention ought to be made of his compositions Oboe Somerso for mezzosoprano, oboe and chamber orchestra and Ed e subito sera for three groups of singers and symphony orchestra. The latter already indicates some limitations which Paraæ will later increasingly impose upon him (on the acoustic, expressive and formal level) “to find in those ‘aggravated conditions’ a maximum concentration of expression for each new work.” These are to be found “in sound homogeneity as well as in the simplicity of musical organisation and the economy of media with which the organisation is produced” (Eva Sedak). The reduction of the musical material and the obsession with all aspects of repetitiveness may remind us of minimalism - but Paraæ goes on: he does not hesitate to use legible symmetric forms, clear harmonies, short and simple diatonic sequences, thus bringing his music to an interesting and uncertain point at which everything is both new and familiar. This is most evident in the following Parac’s works: Collegium Vocale for 6 singers a cappella (fist performed at the Zagreb Music Biennial 1979 by the Collegium Vocale Köln), Music For Strings (since the first performance in 1980 by the Zagreb Soloists, performed about 200 times all over the world), Sarabande for symphony orchestra (first performed in 1982 by the Slovene Philharmonic, conducted by Uroš Lajovic), Music For Strings And Harpsichord (also performed many times by the Zagreb Soloists, among others also at the opening concert of the Zagreb Music Biennial 1983) and above all in his ballet Carmina Krležiana (first performed in 1985 at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb), a musical vision of the poetic world of Miroslav Krleža, one of major Croatian writers. This work, in a way, synthesises Paraæ’s creative development and clearly proves his style to be unique in the recent Croatian music. Parac also wrote music for the opening of the 14th Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo and incidental music of The Desert by Ranko Marinkoviæ and King Gordogan by Radovan Ivšiæ, both performed in Zagreb. He won several high awards: Seven Secretaries SKOJ Youth Award for Ed è subito sera (1975), Josip Slavenski Award for Collegium Vocale (1979), HAZU Award for the Missa Maruliana (1993), Meðugorje Award for Pacem (1994) and twice Porin Awards – for Sarabanda (1993) and for String Quartet (1996).
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