About the event
Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto
The Violin Concerto by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is considered one of the most technically demanding and emotionally charged works for the instrument. Renowned violinist and conductor Maxim Vengerov will evoke the Nordic spirit of the music with his legendary Stradivarius. The evening will open with Wagner’s Prelude and conclude with Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, a celebration of freedom and human values.
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Photo by: Darja Štravs Tisu
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Interesting facts
- Maxim Vengerov is deeply rooted in the tradition of the Franco-Belgian and Russian violin schools. His favourite violinists include Fritz Kreisler, Eugène Ysaÿe, George Enescu, David Oistrakh and Jascha Heifetz.
- His musical career underwent a significant change when a shoulder injury forced him to stop playing the violin. It was this difficult experience that turned him towards the world of conducting.
- Maxim Vengerov enjoyed a special friendship with the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who gave him a new perspective on music. Rostropovich was his “musical guru” and a source of endless inspiration.
- In 1990 he won the International Carl Flesch Competition in London, a moment that marked the start of his global career.
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Performers
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The haunting Violin Concerto in D minor by Jean Sibelius, Finland’s greatest composer, is regarded as one of the pinnacles of the violin repertoire. The work demands a complete artist: one who is equal to its bravura technical challenges while also capable of mastering its powerful and romantic emotional charge. Evoking the »voice of the Nordic soul« on his legendary »ex-Kreutzer« Stradivari (1727) will be Grammy Award winner Maxim Vengerov. The violinist, who counted the great cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich as a mentor, is described as an artist with a Renaissance spirit. He has been dazzling audiences around the world ever since he was five years old and first entered a recording studio at the age of ten – since then he has recorded more than 50 albums. Deeply committed to the study of music, he has also established himself as a conductor and teacher, reflecting his multifaceted artistic greatness.
Vengerov will be joined by the Georgian maestro Kakhi Solomnishvili, already well known to audiences in Slovenia as the new principal conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. On this occasion the orchestra will conjure up its distinctive sound in a performance of the prelude to the first act of Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, which recounts the medieval adventures of the Knights of the Holy Grail. The evening will conclude with a symphonic work described by its Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev as »a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit«. The work is, of course, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, of which its composer said: »It was born in me and clamoured for expression. The music matured within me. It filled my soul.«
Free rides on LPP city buses
Ticket holders for events within the 73rd Ljubljana Festival are entitled to free rides on LPP city buses within two hours before the start and two hours after the end of each event.
Accessibility for visitors with reduced mobility
Festival Ljubljana is committed to ensuring a welcoming and accessible experience at cultural events for persons with reduced mobility.
Selected venues offer designated wheelchair-accessible spaces as well as seating for accompanying persons. Wheelchair users can inquire about availability and reserve accessible seating by calling +386 (0)1 241 60 28 or emailing blagajna@ljubljanafestival.si.
