Festival Maribor

Joseph Tawadros solo oud performance in the Minorite Church at the Festival Maribor, 2015

Running a strong and uniquely conceptualised musical programme, the Maribor Festival has established itself as one of Slovenia’s most respected classical music events. Held for about two weeks each year in September, the festival usually assembles around 150 Slovenian and foreign musicians to play in Maribor (and sometimes also in its neighbouring cities). Its programme is created in collaboration with domestic as well as foreign co-producers and musicians, and is thus featuring many productions that were realised especially for the occasion.

The boldly selected repertoire encompasses both, pieces for chamber orchestras as well as outstanding symphonic and vocal-instrumental works. Many positive foreign critiques of the festival helped defining it as an internationally respected and frequented music festival. The festival's main producer is the central cultural institution in the city, Narodni dom Maribor.

Background

The origins of the Maribor Festival lie in 1964, when the Festival of Baroque Music was organised for the first time. Later, in 1994, the festival’s newly appointed artistic director, the esteemed pianist and professor Janko Šetinc, changed its name as well as its programming concept and named it "Musical September, an International Chamber Music Festival".

He was succeeded by one of the most renowned chamber musicians in the world, Radovan Vlatković, and – from 2008 up to 2015, missing out only in 2013 – the famed Richard Tognetti, also the artistic head of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Tognetti has not only gained the festival many overseas fans, he also gave it its present name and introduced orchestral performances into the programme.

Festival Maribor as seen through foreign eyes by festivalmaribor on YouTube

Programme

Though baroque music used to be at the heart of the festival, it has later been substituted by a varied selection of chamber music going from the Baroque era to the present. Different crossover genres (jazz and ethno music) also found their way into the festival’s programme, as well as multimedia projects. Nowadays it has mainly returned back to its roots and is presenting a refined selection of artists and classical pieces, centred around the festival’s annually chosen theme.

During the pre-production phase the festival serves as a kind of music laboratory, where musicians can collaborate and team up to prepare the concert line-up. Acclaimed musicians and members of exceptional orchestras from all over the world are individually chosen to set up – in accord with the program prepared by the artistic director – various chamber and orchestral ensembles as well as form the core of the Festival Maribor Orchestra. This is assembled anew each year and can alternatively also be the so called Maribor Festival Chamber Ensemble (which, for example, features the Armenian pianist Mikajel Baljan in 2016).

Past guest musicians

The festival's friendly atmosphere and innovative organisation attract world acclaimed musicians like Boris Berezovski, Vlatko Stefanovski, Joseph Tawadros, Knut Erik Sundquist, Giovanni Sollima, William Burton, Katie Noonan, Luka Šulić, Danny Spooner, Marko Letonja, Vasko Atanasovski and, Nicolas Altstaedt.

Accompanying programme

Each year, the main concert programme is accompanied by free-of-charge events that address various audiences that may not otherwise frequent such concerts and workshops (led by, for example, Bojan Cvetrežnik). This sub-programme is called the Festival for Maribor. In the past years it took place in a retirement home, a hospital, a prison, and also on the streets of Maribor (as well as some other cities). The 2016 edition of the Festival for Maribor is – following the theme of the festival – specifically focused on children.

Other more sporadic events like book presentations and lectures frequently are also set up, as are concerts outside the festival's time-frame, like the special New Year's concert.

Festival za Maribor 2013 - Flashmob (Piran, Koper, Maribor & Graz) by festivalmaribor on YouTube

Venues

The Maribor Festival takes place at many beautiful venues such as the Fin de Siècle styled Union Hall (acclaimed for its superb acoustics), the Casina Hall and the Old Hall at the Slovene National Theatre Maribor, the Vetrinje Mansion, the Minorite Church in Maribor and the Narodni dom Maribor. A part of the programme is sometimes also held in Graz, Austria (in collaboration with MusikabendeGRAZ).

In previous years the concerts were not only held in a number of Maribor based concert halls, churches and castles, but also in some other picturesque venues such as the Knights Hall at Ptuj Castle in in other nearby cities (Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Dornava, Velenje, etc). In addition, some of the festival's accompanying programme takes place in the picturesque squares of Maribor's historic centre.

External links

Gallery

Pianist Jasminka Stančul and violinist (at that time also the festival's artistic director) Richard Tognetti performing in the Kazina Hall at Festival Maribor, 2015

Joseph Tawadros solo oud performance in the Minorite Church at the Festival Maribor, 2015

The Maribor Festival Orchestra (each year set up especially for the festival) performing in the Union Hall at the Festival Maribor, 2015

Satu Vänskä and the SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra performing at the Union Hall at the Festival Maribor, 2015

Women’s Choir APZ Maribor performing in the Slovene National Theatre Maribor at the Festival Maribor, 2015

Maribor Festival Orchestra, September 2010

Maribor Festival Orchestra during a performance in the Slovene National Theatre Maribor at the Maribor Festival, 2010

Maribor Festival Orchestra performing The Crowd at the Maribor Festival, 2010

Maribor Festival Orchestra performing The Crowd on stage at the Maribor Festival, 2010

Maribor Festival Orchestra performing in the Slovene National Theatre Maribor at the Maribor Festival, 2010

Accordion player Richard Galliano performing Gallianissimo in the Slovene National Theatre Maribor at the Maribor Festival, 2010

Poster for the Maribor Festival by Zadrga, September 2011

Portrait of violin player Satu Vänskä, performing at the Maribor Festival, September 2011

Conductor, composer and violin player Richard Tognetti (Bach Recordings), artistic director of Maribor Festival

Festival Maribor

Contents