Chaix's subtle ballet expression, inspired by one of the most important orchestral compositions of female composers in the first half of the 20th century and the opus of Slava Raškaj, one of the most outstanding Croatian watercolorists at the turn of the century, will be complemented by equally poetic choreographies by the CNT Ballet Split dancers, Arisa Hirono (The Serenity of Light) and Aaron Kok (A Dinner for Rose), on a new dance stage by the sea.

"Chaix's choreography is like the flickering of a candle, and the audience is like the hand that protects it," wrote one critic about the dance language of French choreographer Martin Chaix, who found inspiration for his new ballet in the lives of two Croatian artists, Dora Pejačević and Slava Raškaj, a composer and a painter who significantly marked the Croatian art scene at the turn of the century.

On the 100th anniversary of Dora Pejačević's death, the Split Ballet will dance to the sounds of her genius Symphony in F sharp minor, Op. 41, a work whose premiere in Dresden resonated as a great surprise for the music world. It's a composition that reveals new beauties with each repeated listening.

Dora Pejačević embarked on her musical career as a soloist proficient in piano and violin, frequently showcasing her compositions at intimate gatherings. Over time, her music garnered increasing interest, leading to a repertoire of 58 cataloged works by 1923. Pejačević composed her Symphony between 1916 and 1917, and alongside Frank Lučić's 1917 symphony, it stands as the first Croatian contribution to the form. Her accomplishments as a composer reached a pinnacle with the premiere of two movements from her Symphony in 1918, performed by the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich under the baton of Oskar Nedbal. Subsequently, Pejačević introduced some revisions to the work, and the premiere of the complete Symphony in its revised edition took place in Dresden two years later.