Harmony of the Spheres 2009/10

Dear Friends of the National Gallery of Slovenia and the Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra,

since we have moved through European countries from Scandinavia to the Czech Republic in the East through Great Britain and France in the West in recent seasons, Central Europe attracted us anew this time. This region has produced music that has most decisively shaped our musical taste and is therefore most familiar to us. This year's series will be punctuated by the Tribute to Haydn, Italian Baroque music, the music of both Viennese schools, Bach’s sacral music, and by a selection of Slovenian scores as a consolidated tradition in our programming.

We shall celebrate the Year of Haydn in the first concert with a somewhat expanded cast. A couple of oboes and horns will enable us to produce two symphonies from the period which enthroned Haydn as the "father of the symphony". They will be followed by a Concerto for Two Horns which might be its first production in Ljubljana ever.

Three suite movements by Corelli, Vivaldi's Concerto for Flute, capped by the Gemignani's spirited transcription of Corelli's "La Follia" will be an appropriate introduction into the December festive season.

Next year we shall first be meeting three representatives of both Viennese schools. We shall insert Telemann's popular Concerto for Viola and Strings between Webern's "Langsamer Satz" and Beethoven's string quartet "Il Serioso".

The Easter season will be opened by appropriate music – this time Bach's two unforgettable arias from his Passion: "Es ist vollbracht" and "Erbarme dich", followed by "Psalm 51", for which Bach borrowed Pergolesi's music.

The final concert will be dedicated to Lucijan Marija Škerjanc with a production of string suites, and Dane Škerl's adaptation of "Five Lyrical Melodies" for cello.

Soloists engaged for this season are the hornists Boštjan Lipovšek and Andrej Žust, flautist Massimo Mercelli, violist Mile Kosi, soprano Urška Žižek Plavec, mezzo-soprano Mirjam Kalin, and cellist Igor Škerjanec.

We are doing our best to harmonize topics from the visual arts with the music programme. We shall couple Haydn with a presentation of Dornava Mansion, modelled on the Viennese hedonistic architecture of Haydn's time. Francesco Robba will join Vivaldi since his formative years in Venice coincide with the musician's hiatus of popularity, the music of both Viennese schools will be coupled by a Neo-Classical collection of gem casts. We shall extend the Easter concert with a presentation of an important Italian painting of the Pieta, and the music of Lucijan Marija Škerjanc will be introduced by Jakopič’s paintings of piano nocturnos depicted from 1912 up till 1923.

Enjoy our programme and bring your friends to experience the Harmony of the Spheres!

Klemen Hvala, Art Director of SFCSO
Barbara Jaki, Director of NG

Programme: Central European Heritage in Music and Art

13. 10. 2009
A Tribute to Haydn
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Symphony No. 1 in D-Major
Concerto for Two Horns in Es-Major, soloists: Boštjan Lipovšek, Andrej Žust
Symphony No. 39 "La Tempesta di mare"
Andrej Smrekar: Harmony in the Dornava Mansion

8. 12. 2009
Vivaldi and His Contemporaries
Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713)
Sarabande, Gigue, Badinerie
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Concerto for Flute No. 1: “La tempesta di mare”, soloist Massimo Mercelli
Concerto for Flute No. 3: “Il Gardelino”, soloist Massimo Mercelli
Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762)
Concerto Grosso no. 6 “La Follia”
Matej Klemenčič: Francesco Robba and Venetian Sculpture in the 18th century

16. 2. 2010
Two Viennese Schools
Anton Webern (1883–1945)
“Langsamer Satz” for strings
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
Concerto for Violin in G-Major, soloist: Mile Kosi
Ludwig van Beethoven (1712–1773)
String Quartet in F-Minor, op. 95 “Il Serioso”
Alenka Simončič: The Enlightened Gem Collecting

23. 3. 2010
Bach's Easter Music
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Es ist vollbracht
Erbarme dich, soloist: Mirjam Kalin
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Psalm 51 soloists: Urška Žižek Plavec, Mirjam Kalin
Ferdinand Šerbelj: Unknown Painter of the 18th Century, Pieta

18. 5. 2010
Evening of Slovene Music
Lucijan Marija Škerjanc (1900–1973)
Third Suite for Strings
Five Lyrical Melodies, soloist: Igor Škerjanec
Second Suite for Strings
Andrej Smrekar: Nocturne by Jakopič