| SLOVENIA PRESENTS ITSELF | |
| SLOVENIA - A WORLD MINIATURE SLOVENIA AT A GLANCE | |
| The capital - Ljubljana Prešern Square Plečnik's Ljubljana More about Ljubljana: http://www.mesto-lj.si |
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| Musical tradition and
the contemporary music scene in Ljubljana The Slovene Philharmonic Ljubljana boasts a rich musical tradition, the sweetest fruit most certainly being the Slovene Philharmonic which is ranked as one of the leading orchestras in Central Europe. The position of the country at the junction of Roman, German, Slav and Ugrian worlds provided the opportunity of enrichment and transformation, particularly with regard to music. During the Renaissance our country gave the world one of the most significant masters of European Renaissance polyphony, Jakob Gallus. Baroque brought a flourishing of instrumental music; in 1660 the first opera was staged in Ljubljana; in 1701 the Academia Philharmonicorum, the predecessor of today's Philharmonic, was one of the first of its kind in Europe to be founded. Towards the end of the 18th century it was succeeded by the Philharmonic Society (Philharmonische Gesellschaft) founded in 1794. Its successful and ambitious work was characterised by its honourable members which were selected from the very pinnacle of European music: the first was Haydn who rendered gratitude for this honour with his score Missae in tempore belli. Great acknowledgement was received by the election of Beethoven, who only prior to that forwarded to the Philharmonic Society his manuscript for performing the Pastoral Symphony. Together with a letter of gratitude it is preserved in the National and University Library in Ljubljana. Subsequently, this celebrated company was joined by the prominent violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini. The last great name among its honourable members was Johannes Brahms. The Society's guests included famous soloists and conductors, among them Gustav Mahler who also performed as a pianist and conducted the orchestra in the 1881/82 season. After Slovene national independence in the middle of the 19th century, beside the Philharmonic Society the independent Slovene music scene began to develop with the Music Society in the fore. This led to the formation of the Slovene Philharmonic in 1908. Under the leadership of Czech conductor Vaclav Talich and guests like Fritz Reiner it attained an enviable standard. After Talich's departure and during both World Wars its operation ceased. It experienced a new ascent and emergence with its repeated formation in 1947. The orchestra was guided by acknowledged local composers and conductors, among them Lovro Matačić. The orchestra confirmed its fine reputation during its numerous appearances in the arts centres of Europe: Salzburg, Vienna, Rome, Florence, Venice, Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Brussels, Copenhagen, Birmingham, Madrid, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Bucharest, St. Petersburg, Moscow, and also at international festivals: Wiener Festwochen, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the Prague Spring, Warsaw Autumn and Dubrovnik Summer Festivals. The orchestra toured the USA several times. Among its guests were prominent names on the world music scene: the conductors Kleizki, Haenchen, Martinon, Graf, Baudo, Hautschild and solists: Rubinstein, Richter, Ojstrah, Navarra, Szeryng, Rostropovich, Cherkassky, Damm, Freni, Gelber, Gilels, Pogorelić, Ricciarelli, Schiff, Mintz, Mutter, Kocsis, Ranki, Toradze, Grafenauer, Tomšič, Lipovšek and Ozim. The Slovene Philharmonic performs in the great hall of Cankarjev Dom in Ljubljana each year at 36 season-ticket concerts and at numerous non-subscription concerts. Its rich repertoire is documented by recording releases on CD of its season-ticket concert programmes. Besides the Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra the musical tradition has been continued over recent years by the ever more prominent RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Orchestra and several excellent music artists and producers. The standard rich music scene is supplemented by traditional music perfomances, festivals and gala evenings. Over many years during the month of June jazz fans assemble in the Križanke summer theatre for the International Jazz Festival while alternative and ethnic music delights the Druga Godba Festival. At the beginning of July the Ljubljana International Summer Festival opens its doors. It is a member of the European Association of Music Festivals. In the atriums and squares of the old city centre local, Slovene and foreign artists perform under the banner of Concerts in Old Ljubljana; once autumn reveals its colours, the Trubar Autumn Serenades festival takes its turn while the traditional Groblje concerts come to an end. Slovenska filharmonija / Tel: + 00 386 61 213 619 E-mail: slo-filharmonija@filharmonija.si |
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