Concert of vocal music on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of the poet Srecek Kosovel

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has declared 2026 the Year of Srecko Kosovel to mark the centenary of the poet’s death in 1926. A central event in this commemorative calendar took place on Friday, October 23, at the Gallus Hall in the Cankar House in Ljubljana. Four top-tier Slovenian choirs performed twenty-three vocal compositions set to Kosovel’s texts. The participating groups were the Academic Choir Tone Tomsic of the University of Ljubljana, the Mixed Choir of the Ljubljana Music Society, the Chamber Choir Megaron, and the Choir of the Slovenian Philharmonic. Choir conductors Rahela Duric, Sebastjan Vrhovnik, Damijan Mocnik, and Alenka Podecan each selected five or six pieces for the program. The repertoire spanned multiple generations of Slovenian composers. It included works by twentieth-century classics such as Alojz Srebotnjak, Vilko Ukmar, Marijan Lipovsek, Slavko and Viktor Mihelcic, and Lojze Lebic. The program also featured living authors from middle and younger generations, including Aldo Kumar, Damijan Mocnik, Ambroz Copi, Andrej Makor, Jan Gorjanc Daniso, and Jan Triller. Several of these compositions were performed for the first time during the concert. The musical program explored various facets of Kosovel’s poetic world. Themes included the karst landscape, intimate lyricism, existential sensitivity, and the creative power with which the poet marked Slovenian modernity. Dramatic actor Jernej Gasperin connected the choral songs through recitations of Kosovel’s poetry. The concert concluded with a premiere composition by Damijan Mocnik based on Kosovel’s poem Hymn to Life. The choir performed this piece accompanied by organ, played by Matic Podobnik. In the poem, the author celebrates life as the greatest gift while acknowledging suffering and injustice in the world. He expresses belief in human capacity to create, love, and hope. Veronika Brvar, president of the Music Society and initiator of the concert, stated that Kosovel’s poetry is sonic and colorful even when read. She noted that it was no coincidence that many of his poems have been set to music. Brvar described the event as a tribute to Kosovel and a celebration of Slovenian choral culture. She added that the poet’s thought continues to address audiences, inspire them, and open new artistic horizons a century after his death. Throughout the year, cultural events have been held to honor Kosovel, including performances, concerts, lectures, conversation evenings, and round tables. These activities recognize his exceptional output during a brief life and his indelible impact on Slovenian literature and culture. In related literary developments, a new poetry collection by Dejan Koban titled Nenadejano was published by KUD AAC Zrakogled. A review broadcast on October 22 highlighted the book’s restoration of linguistic play, surrealism, and modernist elements that had faded from contemporary Slovenian writing. The reviewer described the collection as a polyphonic montage of different poetic expressions. Koban’s work features anger, sarcasm, and social engagement. The text references specific political figures and literary critics, employing styles of automatic writing, stream of consciousness, and internal monologue. The collection is characterized by its heterogeneity and radical sharpness, critiquing reality, the world, and literary self-satisfaction. It reintroduces avant-garde techniques into current literary discourse.