A criminal complaint has been filed against a Croatian rock singer after she delivered a bizarre rendition of her country's national anthem at the inauguration of its new President, Zoran Milanovic.
Josipa Lisac, 70, sang 'Our Beautiful Homeland' in a wavering contralto - mostly with her eyes closed and often looking pained - to a jazzy piano backing.
While those at the ceremony stood respectfully silent, the unique performance outraged lawyer Bosko Zupanovic so much he filed a criminal complaint, BBC News reports.
Disrespecting the anthem reportedly carries a one-year jail term.
Zupanovic's complaint said Lisac's version - which was considerably different to the bombast heard in this more traditional performance - was "not socially acceptable", and used "mocking articulations and tonalities".
Her label Croatia Records and the Croatia Musicians Union said in a joint statement the complaint was "further proof that we live in a society where basic human and cultural values are on shaky ground", and Lisac herself would not comment on it.
Lisac has been a star in Croatia since the 1970s. Clips on YouTube dating back more than 40 years show off the singer's distinctive voice and performance style, so it's unlikely organisers of the ceremony didn't know what to expect.
It's not the first time the Croatian national anthem has made headlines for the wrong reasons. In 2007, British opera singer Tony Henry was performing the song at a football match between England and Croatia, in the Croatian language, and flubbed a line - 'dear, we love your mountains' became 'dear, my penis is a mountain', the New York times reported.
Croatian players could be seen smirking at the R-rated error, and went on to win the match 3-2.
