We Believe in the Power of Music
At Festival Maribor, we have always bet on the element of surprise. The history of the festival and of its predecessors, the Festival of Baroque Music and Musical September, bears witness to a series of unexpected twists and turns that led concerts of baroque music to evolve into more stylistically and conceptually open events. Festival Maribor has always been a classical music festival, but not one like a tightly packed box of common chocolates made from a classic recipe. In this particular yellow box, we often find surprises that might have escaped from some other kitchen such as hot chilies, sour lemons, the salty spray of sea waves or the strong smell of hot coffee.
Beyond Forrest Gump-style parables, Festival Maribor is fundamentally a festival of quality, diversity and openness, where one experiences excellence and warmth gifted by exceptional musicians of multiple origins and views who are always full of exciting ideas. We happily embark on new adventures with them, even if it is not entirely clear sometimes where they are taking us. Once we get to know their multifaceted artistry, that uncertainty vanishes. New worlds unfold before us at the concerts, captivating us with an unimagined harmoniousness. What remains is the trust that binds us together and reinforces the belief that music has unfathomable power, and is able to nurture a festival community in which virtually anything is possible.
Finally, we believe in Simon Trpčeski, a musician with a brilliant international career (this time he arrives in Maribor right after a concert in London with Mischa Maisky and Maxim Vengerov at the Royal Albert Hall) and carrying a backpack full of fresh ideas. Last year at Festival Maribor he made a most memorable impression fashioning unusual connections between classical musicianship and the virtuosic brilliance of folk musicians with programs that interwove Western classical music with Balkan traditions and more modern compositional approaches. He opened his own private musical world to us to reveal the richness of the musical pulse of Macedonia and the Balkans. We met a very special kind of musician: artists who are deep authorities on European musical traditions while at the same time full of an intuitive joy for performing and heartfelt devotion to music, which is a crucial and inexhaustible source of life.
We are proud that these very special artists will be with us again this year. Simon Trpčeski will once again take charge of exciting musical partnerships with both internationally established colleagues from the Western Balkans and with top-notch Slovenian musicians. Gabriel Bebeşelea also returns to the festival. The conductor, who last year made such an indelible impression on us with the SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra, this year leads the exceptional Transylvanian State Philharmonic Orchestra in a program that promises a luxurious abundance of melodies, rhythms and temperaments.
We are extremely pleased to welcome back Alexander Gadjiev, a pianist whose international career has seen a meteoric rise since becoming a “BBC New Generation Artist” and following his success at the Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition last year. We get to welcome him twice at the festival: at the opening concert with the SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra and on a solo recital.
And there is another Slovenian festival guest who can claim a brilliant international career, Nika Gorič. The popular young soprano from Maribor will perform on a concert called “New Friendships” which brings together Simon Trpčeski, violinist Benjamin Ziervogel and cellist Gal Faganel.
Our youngest patrons will also get to experience the artistry of Nika Gorič. The soprano and pianist Adriana Magdovski have prepared a special concert for babies and toddlers entitled “Sing with Me” for our traditional matinee recital in the wonderful ambience of Knights’ Hall in the Maribor Regional Museum. Families with children five and older have the chance to enjoy the hilarious musical adventure “Boomtastic” with the percussion sextet Louie’s Cage Percussion.
Alongside looking after our young listeners, Festival Maribor also always takes care of young musical talents. This time we’ve invited a pair of local musical hopefuls to the festival stage: cellist Ariel Vei Atanasovski and violinist Zala Frangež, while top young performers and composers will conduct workshops for the performance of contemporary music with the students from the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet.
We believe in the power of music, it is our faithful companion even in difficult times when the world is shaken by crises, connecting us when we are torn apart. Let’s experience it together!
Yours,
Barbara Švrljuga Hergovich
Artistic Director, Concert Management Agency of the Narodni dom Maribor Cultural Centre
Artistic Director, Festival Maribor