Dear friends of the arts! As we have announced at the end of the last season Harmony of the Spheres is entering its seventh consecutive year of programming. We are hereby presenting you the full program with five concerts and lectures.
Subscription price
Five concerts 60 €, single concert 15 €. Friends of the National Gallery of Slovenia have 25% discount on price for the entire season and 20% discount on price for single concert.
Subscription or single tickets available at the front desk of the National Gallery, Prešernova 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or one hour before the event; closed Mondays.
Reservation (PDF form, Slovenian language only) >>
In the next three-year period the National Gallery of Slovenia and the Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra have planned to widen the scope of their programme, which has so far been limited to Central Europe, by including also other countries of the European Community. This direction is by no means coincidental. 2008 is destined to be European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and it is our wish to enrich our programme by forging links with related European cultural and artistic institutions.
1st concert and lecture; 16. 10. 2007
- Edvard Elgar: Serenade for strings in E minor, op. 20
- B. Britten: Lachrymae, Reflections on a Song of Dowland, op. 48a, Soloist: Aleksandar Milošev
- Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony, op. 4
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Andrej Smrekar:
Herman Verelst (1740/41–1702): Portrait of Johann Jakob Wiederkehrn, 1678
The complex path of Herman Verelst also touched our part of the world connecting us by an invisible thread to England. Verelst spent only a short time in Carniola, but long enough to have left his trace there. His life came to an end in England, where he was active as a portrait painter after the English National School had been established under the decisive influence of Anthony van Dyck.
2nd concert and lecture; 4. 12. 2007
- G. F. Händel: Sarabande
- Johann Gottlieb Graun: Concerto for Oboe in C minor, Soloist: Matej Šarc
- Georg Philipp Telemann: Don Quixote Suite
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Alenka Simončič:
Franz Ignaz Flurer (1688–1742): Apotheosis of Hercules, the castle of Slovenska Bistrica
The ancient Greeks perceived Hercules as the epitome of the Greek soul. He represented the best of human character desired by everybody, as well as the darker impulses buried deep within which had to be continuously conquered. The myth of Hercules was very popular during the Baroque period when rulers and the gentry of Europe identified with him. Hercules by his virtuous labours earned his elevation to Olympus, where the gods made him equal to them and betrothed him to Hebe, the goddess of eternal youth.
3rd concert and lecture; 12. 2. 2008
- Johan Helmich Roman: Partita in C minor
- Johan Svendsen: Romance for Violin and Strings, op. 26, Soloist: Janez Podlesek
- Carl August Nielsen: Little Suite, op. 1/F.6
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Mateja Breščak:
Sirens in Scandinavian and Slovene Art
The Nordic countries adopted the Myth of the Sirens from Greek mythology because of their dependence on the ocean. The writers were taken by the mythological creatures, particularly endeared to the Symbolists and the Scandinavian painters such as Edward Munch. Hans Christian Andersen transformed the negative image of the deadly Sirens of Antiquity in his story of the Little Mermaid, endowing her character with innocence, romance, virtue and frailty. In Slovenian art the Mermaids were imaged by Anton Koželj, Ivan Franke, Ivan Grohar, Tone Kralj, Marjan Pogačnik, Marij Pregelj, France Mihelič and others.
4th concert and lecture; 18. 3. 2008
- Arcangello Corelli: Concerto grosso, op. 6, no. 3 in C minor
- Antonio Vivaldi: Stabat Mater, Soloist: Mirjam Kalin, mezzo-soprano
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Ferdinand Šerbelj:
Gregorio Lazzarini: Rinaldo in Armida
The literary invention of Torquato Tasso in the famous Jerusalem Delivered, which describes the love relationship between the Christian hero Rinaldo and the witch Armida, has attracted numerous artists in painting as well as in music, e.g. the work of C.W. Gluck (Armida) and the lyrical opera of G. Rossini. Tasso’s love story composed of entanglements and disentanglements of a moralistic nature was a popular subject in Baroque art and en excellent example from this time is Lazzarini’s depiction of Rinaldo and Armida from the collections of the National Gallery of Slovenia.
5th concert and lecture; 20. 5. 2008
- Lucijan Marija Škerjanc: Adriatic Sea
- Slavko Šuklar: Concerto Canonico, Soloist: Kristina Šuklar
- Lucijan Marija Škerjanc: 2nd Suite for Strings
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Andrej Smrekar:
Sunlight in Slovene Impressionist Paintings
Slovenian Impressionism is unique because of its opposing gravitations towards impression and expression. A number of paintings from 1905-1908 deal with sun light in their title: Winter Sunshine (R. Jakopič), Morning Sunshine (I. Grohar), Spring Sunshine (M. Sternen), Autumn Sunshine (I. Grohar). They represent a collective descent into the beginnings of Impressionism, from where each of the painters in his own way proceeded in finding his recognisable style.
For Harmony of the Spheres
Boris Šinigoj, Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra
Barbara Jaki, National Gallery