In the sign of the old music

On Sunday afternoon, the official flag of the Municipality of Radovljica was replaced by the banner of the 44th Radovljica Festival on Lihart Square for 14 days. The festival will begin its concert cycle on August 8 and conclude on August 25. This year’s edition features ten concerts spanning music from the 12th to the 19th century, with a focus on baroque works. Half of the concert programs have been specially created for the festival. The festival kicks off with a performance by the Altemps quartet on Saturday at the Baroque Hall of Radovljica Manor. The hall will serve as one of the main concert venues this year, alongside seven other events. Two concerts will take place in the Church of Saint Peter and one in the Church of the Annunciation of Mary in Velesov. The opening concert will feature works by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven performed on historical instruments. On Monday, a concert featuring arias from the oratorio La Maddalena by Giovanni Bononcini will take place, supported by the Festival Baroque Orchestra. The soprano Nikolina Hrkać, known for her exceptional performances, will participate in this concert. In recent years, the festival has consistently grown in popularity, according to Domen Vurnik, who took over as president of the Society of Lovers of Old Music Radovljica last year, succeeding Marija Kolar. On Wednesday, violinist Bojan Čičić will guide audiences through the world of Tartini's music and Swedish master J.H. Rönn. The fourth evening will feature a concert dedicated to the bassoon and chamber music. Works by Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and Lea will be presented by Erazem Žganjar, a promising young musician from Kranj currently studying at the Salzburg Mozarteum. The fifth concert will take place in Velesov, where Italian organist Nicola Procaccini will perform organ pieces by Claudia Merula from the collection of the Ljubljana Cathedral. The festival will shift towards the second half of the schedule with harpist Margaret Köll performing music from the 17th century in Naples on a Renaissance double harp. On the seventh concert, we will hear Bach’s sonatas for flute and harpsichord performed by the expert baroque flutist Eleonora Bišćević. The eighth concert will highlight French virtuoso Vittoria Ghielmia on the viola da gamba, while the ninth will feature the ensemble Miroir de Musique with troubadour songs. The festival will conclude on August 25 with a concert of German domestic music by Schumann and Brahms. Special programs have been prepared for the festival by long-time artistic director Domen Marinčič. Over the course of ten festival evenings, 48 artists from more than twenty countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Portugal, Colombia, Mexico, and others, will perform. Slovenian musicians will appear on four concerts. As in previous years, Mateja Bajt will lead a five-day masterclass on the bassoon during the festival period.