Conducted by Muti, Philharmonics Pay Tribute to Kleiber

Ljubljana, 4 November

The Slovenian Philharmonics paid a tribute to Carlos Kleiber, the acclaimed conductor who was buried in Slovenia earlier this year, with a concert featuring the great Italian conductor Riccardo Muti on Thursday evening. Kleiber was posthumously awarded the title of honorary member of the Slovenian Philharmonic Society.

Director of the Vienna State Opera Ioan Holender labelled Carlos Kleiber a unique conductor in the history of music.
In an address read before the concert by Austrian Ambassador to Slovenia Valentin Inzko, Holender said that philosophically, one could say that Kleiber's creativity of interpretation allowed him to get much more out of a piece of music than their composers could have foreseen in their imagination.
Carlos Kleiber always searched for the full realisation of the absolute, according to Holender.
Kleiber's niece Brigita Drnovsek was handed a document by which the Slovenian Philharmonic Society posthumously awards Kleiber the title of honorary member.
It was Milan Kucan, the former Slovenian president, who had the honour to hand her the document. He used this occasion to stress that the Philharmonics count Kleiber with respect and pride among the great names of music with whon they had the honour to cooperate.
As a conductor Kleiber made only two guest appearances in Ljubljana. He conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997 and earlier also the Symphony Orchestra of the public broadcaster.
Conducted by Riccardo Muti, who was a long-time friend of Kleiber's, the Slovenian Philharmonics, the male singers of the Slovenian Chamber Choir and the Consortium Music choir, and mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink performed the Schubert Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" and Brahms Rhapsody for Alto, Male Chorus and Orchestra.
The concert was initiated by Slovenian Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl and his then Austrian counterpart Benita Ferrero-Waldner after Carlos Kleiber died on 13 July, aged 74. He was buried in Konjsica in the east of Slovenia in line with his wish to be buried beside his wife, ballerina Stanka Brezovar, who died last December.

Conducted by Muti, Philharmonics Pay Tribute to Kleiber

More articles from this issue:

Archive