Harmony of the Spheres XX

Dear Friends of the National Gallery of Slovenia and the Slovenian Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra!

Round numbers often inspire us towards reflection, to look upon past achievements with both appraisal and maybe a little pride, as well as upon future promise. It is in this spirit that we offer this season’s Harmony of the Spheres, which celebrates 20 years of presenting great music in harmony with great art.

This year’s program presents the third and final part of our Pictures at an Exhibition series, featuring compositions which are directly inspired by specific works of art from the collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia. The collection of pieces offered this season aims to reaffirm our commitment to present beloved classics in new and interesting thematic contexts together with exciting lesser-known works in programs that aspire to delight, to soothe, to beguile – and above all, to inspire. In spite of what looks to be a year of physical distancing and mask-wearing in public, perhaps causing some devoted listeners to be more cautious about attending public events, we firmly believe that it is music and art that give us something worth living for.

We will hear masterpieces from J. S. Bach, Antonín Dvořák, Mauro Giuliani, Luigi Boccherini, Carl Nielsen, Claude Debussy, Anton Webern, Samuel Barber, Frank Bridge, Lucijan Marija Škerjanc and of course Ludwig van Beethoven, who celebrates another – rather larger – round number this year, 250 years. The first concert commemorates both our very first Harmony of the Spheres program and Slovenian art, while world premieres by distinguished Slovenian composers Nana Forte and Črt Sojar Voglar will be presented later in the season.

We also continue to present shorter compositions by promising composition students from the Academy of Music and based on artworks in the Gallery’s collection, now renamed “Musical Miniatures”. The season features excellent Slovenian soloists such as harpist Mojca Zlobko Vajgl, violinist Domen Lorenz, the duo Claripiano and guitarist Izidor Erazem Grafenauer, as well as the young Romanian oboist Sorin Crudu.

Our lectures this season address ways of experiencing the world as they are expressed in works of art. Gojko Zupan will talk about the paintings of Zoran Mušič as bridges between reveries and reality to complement the evening’s musical reveries; Barbara Jaki will present important paintings by Slovenian painters of Beethoven’s time; Andrej Smrekar will match the selection of lyrical canzonettas and suites with a discourse on lyricism in painting in the early 20th century; Michel Mohor’s contribution will deal with intimism in the Slovenian tradition to accentuate the nocturnes of Chopin and Dvořák, while fandango serves as a starting point for Mateja Breščak's presentation of the challenge of movement in modernist Slovenian sculpture.

We look forward to sharing our art with you!

Steven Loy, Artistic Director, Slovenian Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra
Barbara Jaki, Director, National Gallery of Slovenia

The number of seats is limited to 40 for the duration of the pandemic regulations.

Subscription price for the 2020−2021 season: 75 EUR
Single ticket: 19 EUR

Subscription price for Friends of the National Gallery of Slovenia: 50 EUR
Single ticket: 15 EUR

Subscription or single tickets available at the front desk of the National Gallery of Slovenia, Prešernova 24, Ljubljana, 10 am–6 pm, Thursdays through 8 pm, or one hour before the event; closed Mondays.

Dates of events

The quarantine resulting from the of COVID-19 pandemic has deprived us of two concerts from the Harmony of the Spheres' nineteenth season. We shall compensate the two lost concerts in November and December of our jubilee season.

Program booklet

13 October 2020 – 18 Maj 2021
National Gallery of Slovenia
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana