Difference between revisions of "Slovene Philharmonic"

Revision as of 12:43, 18 May 2010

History

Academia Philharmonicorum

The Slovene Philharmonics traces its illustrious heritage back to the Academia Philharmonicorum, which was founded in Ljubljana in 1701 on the model of the Italian academies. The Academy chose for its emblem the organ of its patron, St. Cecilia, and its seal incorporated the motto Receat, mentique perennia monstrat (It entertains, and reveals eternal things to the mind). Its members were drawn from the aristocracy and from the town's intelligentsia, and according to reports by contemporary chroniclers, after several years of practice and with a great deal of enthusiasm the Academy began staging performing symphonic compositions by European, particularly Italian Baroque masters.

Today the Slovene Philharmonics is a national institute which incorporates the Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra, the Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra and the Slovene Chamber Choir. To date the Orchestra has performed nearly 40 subscription concerts in the Gallus Hall at Cankarjev dom Culture and Congress Centre as well as one-off concerts on special occasions and musical matinees for young audiences. The Orchestra also has over 40 CD recordings to its credit.

Habsburg empire

By the end of the 18th century the Academy ceased to exist and was replaced in 1794 by the Philharmonische Gesellschaft (Philharmonic Society), one of the first establishments of this kind within the Habsburg empire. The Society's orchestra comprised well-versed professional musicians whose repertoire was enriched with works by the most significant composers in Europe at that time, including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Liszt. Many renowned soloists gave concerts in Ljubljana, headed by composer and conductor Gustav Mahler, giving new artistic stimuli to the orchestra. In its desire for international input into its ambitious activities the Philharmonic Society sought prominent European musicians as honorary members. The first was Joseph Haydn who gratefully presented the Society with a score of his Missa in Tempore belli. Next was Ludwig van Beethoven whose letter of thanks together with a transcript of the score for his Pastoral Symphony is still kept in the National and University Library (NUK). At a later stage, honorary membership was gratefully accepted by violinist Nicolò Paganini and by composers Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák. A very important phase in a three century-long history of the Slovene Philharmonics took place in the mid-19th century when a process of independent Slovene musical activities was initiated by the Music Society (1892), leading to the foundation of the first independent Slovene Philharmonic Society (1908-1913). Thereafter, under the leadership of Czech conductor Václav Talich and renowned guest conductors like Gustav Mahler and Fritz Reiner in the first decades of the 20th century, the Slovene Philharmonic Society attained a high level of musical reproduction.

After the 2nd World war

In the period between the two wars following Talich's departure, the activities of the Slovene Philharmonic Society were formally abandoned. However, in 1947, on the initiative of composer Marjan Kozina, conductor Samo Hubad and musicologist Vlado Golob, a resolution was passed on the formation of the Slovene Philharmonics, with a symphony orchestra, a mixed (until 1976) and youth choir (until 1952), a string quartet and an agency which organised concerts (this became independent in 1952). The first concert by the new Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Spanish conductor Salvador Bacarisse, took place on 13 January 1948.

The Slovene Chamber Choir

In 1999 the Slovene Chamber Choir, founded in 1991 by Dr. Mirko Cuderman, was formally incorporated into the Slovene Philharmonics, facilitating more detailed and long-term planning both of the choir's own concert programme and of joint performances of the great vocal-instrumental works with the Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra

The Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Central Europe, it traces its illustrious heritage back to the 18th Century. The Society's orchestra reached an impressive standard under the leadership of Czech conductor Václav Talich and became very well known, however following Talich’s departure its activity declined in the period between two wars. The orchestra was re-established in 1947 and was thereafter led by many renowned conductors, among them Bogo Leskovic, Samo Hubad, Oskar Danon, Lovro Matačić, Uroš Lajovic, Milan Horvat, and from 1995 through to 2004 Marko Letonja who left to became Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra Basel. From 2005 until 2008 the Orchestra has been led by renowned American conductor George Pehlivanian. In October 2008 the position of the orchestra's principal conductor has been taken by the French Emmanuel Villaume.

Within the last decades, Slovene Philharmonics mainly collaborated with some renowned conductors, to name just a few: Carlos Kleiber, Lovro Matačić, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Sanderling, Dmitri Kitayenko, Rudolf Barshai, Leopold Hager, Theodor Guschlbauer, Tadeusz Wojchiechowski, Yuri Simonov, Jacek Kaspszyk, Serge Baudo, Hartmut Haenchen, Jiří Bělohlávek, Heinz Holliger, Stanisław Wisłocki, etc.

Great many of Slovene and world famous musicians performed with the Orchestra: Irena Grafenauer, Marjana Lipovšek, Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak, Bernarda Fink, Igor Ozim, Arthur Rubinstein, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Sviatoslav Richter, Gidon Kremer, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vadim Repin, Ivo Pogorelić, Lazar Berman, Elisabeth Leonskaja, John Ogdon, Miklós Perényi, Schlomo Mintz, Heinz Holliger, Julian Rachlin, Sarah Chang, Till Felner, Sharon Kam, Fazil Say, Mario Brunello, Zoltán Kocsis, Håkan Hardenberger, David Garrett, etc.

From the late 70's on, Slovene Philharmonics have toured Europe, USA and Japan many times. During those tours they played in some of the most prestigious venues, as Carnegie Hall (New York City) and Musikverein (Vienna). Among the Philharmonics recent most successful tours and collaborations one finds the tour all over Switzerland, in Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, France and Belgium, gala concert with Luciano Pavarotti, as well as both Rome and Valencia performances accompaniing the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Just couple of years before his death, the Orchestra found particular close cooperation with one of the most inspirative world conductors Carlos Kleiber. As Maestro Kleiber has later been buried in the Slovenian village of Konjšica near Litija in 2004 - together with his wife, former ballet dancer Stanislava Brezovar - his great conducting colleague Riccardo Muti chosed Slovene Philharmonics for the memorial gala that took place in both Ljubljana and Ravenna. On 21 June 2010, Ljubljana celebrates Carlos Kleiber's 80th birthday with Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Riccardo Muti.

Concert halls

Performances are held at Slovene Philharmonics halls and more often at Cankarjev dom Culture and Congress Centre. The Slovene Philharmonics Hall itself incorporates two venues - the Velika dvorana (Great Hall) and the Mala dvorana (Small Hall).

Velika dvorana (Great Hall)

Type of venue: Concert hall; main use: concerts, music theatre and dance performances, ceremonies; seating: 507 seats, comprising 345 stalls, 162 balcony]]; performing area: raised open platform 11.54m W x 9.8m D; lighting: basic concert rig only; sound: basic PA system only; stage equipment: Diocesan Organ Workshop Maribor organ (1999) with 2,614 pipes and 40 registers; backstage: dressing rooms accommodating 150-200 persons total, technical staff available; climate control: air-conditioned and heated; availability: available for hire

Mala dvorana (Small Hall)

Type of venue: Recital room; main use: chamber music concerts, lectures, seminars, press conferences; seating: 200 removable seats total; performing area: flexible within total area 10m x 6m x 2.5m H to ceiling; lighting: recessed ceiling lighting only; sound: basic PA system; backstage: facilities shared with Great Hall; availability: available for hire.

External links

The Slovene Philharmonics website (in English)

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