Young instrumentalists will play film themes

The Slovenian Youth Orchestra invites you to an evening of film music, including the Entropia concert.

Since its foundation in 2019, the Slovenian Youth Orchestra under the baton of Živa Ploj Peršuh has been a regular guest at Ljubljana Festival events. This year, they will present a programme of film music and a concert Entropia by Finnish bass guitarist Lauri Porra. We spoke to the conductor about the upcoming concert, film music and its composers.

How did the decision to organise a concert evening of film music with the Slovenian Youth Orchestra come about?

The programme was created with the artists we wanted to work with in mind, and with an audience that is already used to our genre-colourful programmes. Guest soloist Lauri Porra, who will perform with the orchestra as a soloist on electric bass guitar, is also interesting as a composer of film music. His Entropia concerto will be performed, but he will certainly be a great inspiration to young musicians, as he is a classically trained cellist who also plays in the heavy metal band Stratovarius.

The classical music used in the films is also an interesting cue.

The third inspiration was Marcel Štefančič as a great connoisseur of films, music and life stories of various artists. He will be with us on stage, and we believe this musical and narrative arc will be very interesting. I am really looking forward to that.

Interestingly, orchestras are increasingly choosing to hold such evenings. Why do you think this is?

Firstly, it's simply good music. Otherwise, they appeal to a wider audience than the purely classical, and that kind of connecting moment can be magical. If they are one-topic evenings, it feels like being in a cinema with live music. We have forgotten a little bit of that charm and it is really welcome every now and then.

Of all the composers in the world, John Williams is said to be the most famous for his film music.

There's Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota and other greats. John Williams is one of the most popular at the moment. He performs as a conductor, including with famous orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic. Films with his music are currently being watched and listened to by film lovers of all generations, young and old.

For me, when I hear the name John Williams, I think first of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, an early master of film music. He is obviously Williams' great inspiration.

You have prepared a very varied programme, which will open with the theme from the Tom and Jerry cartoon. Cartoons have some eternal themes too, don't they?

Cartoons of all kinds are cool. Especially old Hollywood black and white ones, as they come with top-notch music. Fascinating how carefully and ambitiously they used to do it. Even the more modern ones, the Smurfs , or whatever they are called, those gorgeous little teddy bears ..., all have great musical accompaniment.

Also The Waltz of the Flowers, from the ballet The Nutcracker is a very popular and often used musical theme.

I find it difficult to get past that. It has been heard so many times in films, and it is a constant in the classical repertoire. This is how the young people in the orchestra build their repertoire, which they will surely play later as members of professional orchestras.

You will focus on Jani Golob with two of his themes. Our composers have also written some eternal film themes.

Jani Golob is one of Slovenia's giants of film music, but he is also a prolific and wonderful composer. He is also a great supporter of our youth work strategy and of my work. I feel that I get answers to all my questions from him, and he really shares his deep knowledge and experience without any reservations. A great tribute.

How did you start working with Jean Sibelius' great-great-grandson Lauri Porra and what piece will you perform together?

I found Laurie Porra by chance when I was searching for contemporary film music on YouTube. I knew immediately that I would perform his concert Entropia one day, and the opportunity presented itself quickly. All the other stories and family ties, including the husband of my work colleague Dalia Stasevska, which I found out later, rounded off our story together nicely and added a little gold dust to it.

And there's no Leonard Bernstein in the repertoire either.

Absolutely not. I hope everyone in the audience will shout Mambo at the sign!

Nino Rota has completely re-evaluated the role of music in film.

That's true. I like it, too, in the classical parts.

Finally, you will be offered a medley of Kek's songs.

Kekec is a hero for all generations and without him, in whatever form, it would be hard to imagine our programme of unforgettable film tunes. Nejc Bečan, who arranged the wreath, has done a masterful job.

The impact is evident every year in the feedback we receive from the young musicians taking part, which is what we are most pleased to see, and in their obvious progress. Many people tell us that without the Slovenian Youth Orchestra they would not have continued playing an instrument, and our inspiring but also challenging work fuels many of them. I can honestly say that I am glad that it is with us that young people find a partner and an environment that is encouraging and sincere.

The Slovenian Youth Orchestra has been active for five years and has established itself well. Now it is probably possible to assess its influence on the first generation of musicians.

We are delighted to be able to show them how to apply the knowledge they have gained in music schools and the many different paths musicians can take in life. Not everyone is going to be a soloist, that's something to be aware of, but they can be anything else, a teacher, a producer, a sound engineer, an arranger and so on. Young people need dialogue and they can talk more easily about serious subjects if we give them time and space. The orchestra makes all this possible.

Guest Lauri Porra

Finnish composer and instrumentalist Lauri Porra (1977), great-great-grandson of composer Jean Sibelius, started playing the cello at the age of six and later switched to the bass guitar. In addition to composing for orchestra, film and media, he is also a member of the heavy metal band Stratovarius, with whom he has recorded four albums and performed in more than fifty countries. The highly versatile Porra also leads his own ensemble, the Lauri Porra Flyover Ensemble, which combines musical styles ranging from rock and jazz to classical, electronic and film music. Entropia , his concerto for electric bass and orchestra, was premiered by the composer as soloist and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in a concert that opened the 2015 season and also marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jean Sibelius.