In lavish happiness

The lieder occupies a special place in Slovenia’s musical tradition. As one of the most intimate musical forms, it became an important expression of inner moods and a vehicle of national consciousness in as early as the 19^th century. At the time of the vibrant reading-room movement, it developed in close contact with Slovene poetry, which offered composers a rich literary foundation ranging from France Prešeren, Simon Jenko and Simon Gregorčič to the lyrics of fin-de-siècle poets. Although Slovene composers were somewhat removed from major European centres, the art song remained a central form of their artistic expression and a place where the influences of European Romanticism and modernism met the local poetic tradition. RTV Slovenia’s radio archives, which contain extensive recorded material and provide evidence of the contemporary reception of this genre in the second half of the 20^th century, offer a valuable insight into the development of the art song.

The diverse programme of this concert offers an overview of almost a century of Slovene lieder, from the early Romantic settings of Anton Nedvěd and Fran Serafin Vilhar and the operatically lyrical world of Anton Foerster to the highly personal and intimate miniatures of the versatile Anton Lajovic and Janko Ravnik. They are followed by Slovene modernist composers including the expressionist Marij Kogoj, the expressively profound Lucijan Marija Škerjanc and the refined Uroš Krek, who expanded and stylistically deepened the expressive space of vocal lyricism in the 20th century. Alongside them, the programme includes composers who continued the late Romantic tradition, among them Josip Procházka, a pupil of Antonín Leopold Dvořák, Viktor Parma, whose style was shaped by the example of Verdi, Oskar Dev, a composer of typically Romantic expression, Josip Pavčič, a masterful writer for the piano and a sensitive painter of moods, and Emil Adamič, whose compositions move between the melodiousness of folk music and artistic boldness.

The performers are soprano Štefica Grasselli, a member of the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana solo ensemble, a recipient of a Student Prešeren Prize and a performer with a broad repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to contemporary opera, and pianist Irena Zajec, for many years a répétiteuse at the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana and an experienced solo and chamber musician who is also active as a teacher and accompanist at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.