The Viennese Festival of the stringed instrument was not without a gift for the great Milena Zupančič (PHOTO)

The Velenje Festival of Plucked String Instruments concluded with a tribute to the late Mili Zupančič, marking another successful edition of the event that has become a cornerstone of Slovenian musical culture. The festival, held in the Šaleška Valley, drew attention for its rich tradition, quality, and significance in plucked string music, largely due to the efforts of the late Marjan Marinšek, the founder of the idea, cultural figure, and lutenist, as well as his successor, the lute pedagogue Peter Napret. This year’s event was organized under the umbrella of the Festival Velenje organization, with gratitude extended to the management team, director Barbara Pokorny, and professional leader Matjaž Šalej, who has been steering all aspects of the organization and updating the event with international relevance for many years. Šalej noted that the Prešmenta Lute Festival is older than the Pikin Festival by several days, both being the children of Marinšek. On the stage of the Cultural House in Velenje, the opening act featured members of the Glazbena skupina na citrah in oprekljih Citroprekelj from White Croatia. A notable feature of this performance was the addition of unique instruments, small cymbals, known as opreklj, which are rarely used today. However, the age range of the musicians, spanning from 8 to 65 years old, added a special charm to the ensemble. Under the leadership of Damjan Praprotnik, the group proved both sympathetic and professionally convincing. Citroprekelj has been active for six years and shows great promise for the future. The group presented a rich scenario, a true musical journey through Slovenia, accompanied by interesting stories. They performed on the central cultural stage in Velenje, joined by violinist Ksenija Abramović and the organ player Branko Banjevac. According to Napret, the lute festival usually takes place over three days as concert evenings, which is feasible because there are many talented lutenists and lutenists in Slovenia, making it easy to choose performers. Each year, together with colleagues, they consider who to include in the program. This time, they decided to include the intriguing group Citroprekelj from White Croatia. In the orchestra, besides lutes, they also play on opreklj or small cymbals, an almost forgotten stringed instrument not taught in music schools. Fortunately, lutes have been officially recognized for 33 years. On the second day, the real lute show was delivered by Neli and Karmen Zidar Kos from the Savinja Valley. In Velenje, they were already treated almost like locals and exceptional artists. Last time they performed at this festival was ten years ago, and it was long overdue for them to return to the festival stage. The central hall of the Velenje Castle, open to the public, was filled to capacity, and enthusiastic listeners could enjoy two hours of a carefully selected repertoire of sister duo performances. They played demanding pieces, popular lute music by Slovenian authors, Greek and Dalmatian winter songs, and finally, in honor of the unforgettable Mili Zupančič, "Cvetje v jeseni." The artists themselves received flowers with the wish that their artistic journey continues. After a decade, Neli and Karmen Zidar Kos once again shone brightly in Velenje. On the third evening, Thomas Baldauf performed at Villa Bianca. The most important Slovenian lute festival has already taken on an international character since 1994, when Marinšek invited internationally renowned lutenist Rudolf Knabl (1912–2001) to Velenje at the initiative of Napret. Following him, performers from Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic appeared at the festival. This time, Thomas Baldauf, a famous lutenist from the German federal state of Saxony, responded to the invitation. Baldauf's repertoire includes classical lute compositions and popular melodies, attracting even less demanding audiences. The third concert evening took place at Villa Bianca in Velenje, and Baldauf demonstrated through his interpretation that one can indeed perform all musical genres on the lute, comparing it to playing the piano for the masses. This is his main musical message, combined with pedagogical work, care for presenting the lute as a modern and versatile instrument. The Velenje Festival has been organizing the lute festival for 38 years. Slovenia is truly a land of lute players.