The collection includes 87 of Pavle Beljanski’s shellac records donated to The Memorial Collection in 1966 by his heirs.
As a passionate collector, Beljanski carefully selected special editions of Columbia Records, His Master’s Voice and other publishers. He bought classical works by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Grieg, Wagner, Mozart, Mendelssohn, performed by symphony orchestras such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Philharmonic of London, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Opera and others. The collection contains concert recordings by popular contemporary pianists such as Sergei Rachmaninoff and William Bacchus, then violinist Jacques Thibault and his trio with Alfred Corto and Pablo Casales.
Nedeljko Gvozdenović’s memories of afternoon parties in Beljanski’s apartment also testify to Beljanski’s dedication to music: “There we were, enjoying lunch with the whole gallery surrounding us while we talk about painting. And then – the music. Old winding gramophone. Beljanski was extremely meticulous. He carefully wiped the records and cherished them like the apple of his eye, as they say. This lasted until four or five o’clock in the afternoon, and then he left for a game of bridge with his friends.”