The 62nd edition of the Ljubljana Festival, featuring a highly diverse and exciting programme, will run between 1 July and 1 September this summer. Five concerts in Ljubljana’s Congress Square together with one at the Piazza Unità in neighbouring Trieste will make for an even more varied summer beat across two cities. At the opening of the Festival today, 1 July, over 300 musicians will perform one of the most brilliant scores of the 20th century, Carmina Burana, the cantata by German composer Carl Orff.

Following the inspiring performance of the composition on 8 June 1937, the author wrote to the publisher: “Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, printed, can be destroyed. With Carmina Burana, my collected works begin.” The cantata, actually intended for a scenic performance, consists of 24 songs and is composed for an orchestra, choir and three soloists. The majority of the texts date to the 11th and 12th centuries and are in Medieval Latin, Middle High German and Old French. It presents a wide range of themes: happiness, prosperity, the transience of life, spring, pleasures, and the dangers of drink, gambling, gluttony and lust.

Despite the composition being initially written for a stage performance, its music is so convincing, witty and colourful that nowadays it is usually performed on concert stages.

This performance will combine two orchestras, three choirs, three soloists, the Bosnian soprano Aida Čorbadžić, the tenor Marko Cvetko and the baritone Ivo Yordanov. The baton will be taken by the experienced and always convincing maestro Uroš Lajovic.

Also on the programme of the 62nd Ljubljana Festival: Renowned conductors Uroš Lajovic, Riccardo Muti, Karel Mark Chichon, Nikša Bareza, George Pehlivanian, Vladislav Černušenko, Andres Mustonen and Mariss Jansons all come to lead and inspire. Alongside the celebrated Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam are Moscow Soloists and Filarmonica '900 del Teatro Regio of Turin. Further outstanding artistic heights will be provided by pianists Boris Berezovsky, Paul Badura-Skoda, Rostislav Krimer and Jean-Yves Thibaud; by violinist Stefan Milenković, violist Yuri Bashmet, guitarist Vlatko Stefanovski, mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and queen of flamenco María Pages, choreographers Vasily Medvedev, Valentina Turcu, Leo Mujić, director Mykal Rand and more.

All cutting-edge art, and at affordable prices – for as little as 5 euros.

(Photo: Miha Fras)