Two musical evenings of great film stories

Ljubljana, 14 August 2024 - Over two days, the Križanke Summer Theatre will host two events filled with music from films that have captivated audiences around the world. On the first evening, Wednesday 21 August at 20.30, the Slovenian Youth Orchestra will perform under the direction of Živa Ploj Peršuh, with soloist Lauri Porra on electric bass guitar. The evening will be dedicated to a selection of music from popular animated and live-action films. The following day, on Thursday 22 August at 20:30, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra with the National Choir of the Sofia Philharmonic, conducted by Najden Todorov, will present film music by John Williams.

MELODIES ATTACHED ANIMATED IN PLAYED FILMS

The Slovenian Youth Orchestra, which has been bringing freshness and youthful energy to the Ljubljana Festival for several years in a row under the leadership of renowned conductor Živa Ploj Peršuh, will present a selection of film music, including both classical and popular pieces from the most popular animated and live-action films and franchises, on Wednesday, 21 August at 8.30pm in the Križanke Summer Theatre. Živa Ploj Peršuh is an outstanding Slovenian conductor who founded the Slovenian Youth Orchestra in 2019, which has quickly become a symbol of Slovenian culture and part of the European Federation of Youth Orchestras. The conductor is renowned for her dedication to young musicians and frequently collaborates with leading Slovenian orchestras. Her passion for working with young people and her internationally renowned work as a conductor have earned her a great reputation in Slovenia and abroad. The Slovenian Youth Orchestra is made up of the most promising Slovenian musicians, aged 16-26, who come from Slovenia and abroad to study and perform. The orchestra is known for its top-class performances of classical music, as well as for its participation in genre-diverse projects where classical music is combined with other musical genres. The event will be moderated by Marcel Štefančič, a renowned Slovenian television presenter, columnist and author of more than a hundred works of literature, known for his extensive knowledge of film, literature, music and socio-political issues.

The concert will take the audience through unforgettable works that have shaped the history of cinema. They will perform a selection of works including the heart-rending Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, made famous by the Godfather trilogy, and the Floral Waltz from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, which has inspired many filmmakers. The programme will also be enriched with contemporary works such as Lauri Porra's Entropia, as well as Slovenian blockbusters that have made a significant contribution to the Slovenian film and music legacy. The ensemble will thus create a magical sonic journey through different film genres and eras.

Programme:

Scott Bradley, prir. Peter Tovornik: Tom & Jerry

Pietro Mascagni: Intermezzo from the opera The Peasant's Honour

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Floral Waltz from the ballet The Nutcracker

Jani Golob: Leave us this world from The Real Pirate

Jani Golob: Summer in a shell

Lauri Porra: Entropia - Concerto for electric bass guitar and symphony orchestra

Leonard Bernstein: Mambo from the musical West Side Story

Nino Rota, prir. Marjan Peternel.

Magnifico, arr. Matija Krečič: Pukni zoro

Marjan Kozina, Marjan Vodopivec, doc. Nejc Bečan: Kekec Medley

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