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 and celebrates 300th anniversary.
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 Niccolň 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, Ozim.
Slovenia Weekly articles:
- Slovenian Philharmonics: 300 Years of Excellence [Jan. 2002]
- Where the Best Come Together - Interview with Ms Mojca Menart, General Manager of the Slovenian Philharmonics [Oct. 2001]
