Programme:
Saša Šantel:
Verzi (Oton Župančič)
Kam (France Prešeren)
Roža in potok (Alojz Gradnik)
Sam (Simon Gregorčič)
Po zatonu (Vojeslav Mole)
V parku Ezbekijeh (Anton Aškerc)
Čolničku (Simon Gregorčič)
Ribnik (Oton Župančič)
Pod palmami (Anton Aškerc)
Galebi (Anton Aškerc)
O, prašam vas (?)
Narodna (Alojz Gradnik)
Molitev (Jovan Ilijić)
Neznani grob (Milorad J. Mitrović)
Belokranjska kolednica (Metlika)
Tri pjesmi (besedilo v čakavštini napisal Drago Gervais): Moja zemlja, Moj sin, Pjanac
Čar majske noći (Aleksandar Krušnjak)
Veverica (Anton Novačan)

Vocal music and choral singing were for long decades one of the principal elements of musical life in Slovenia: they were a source of national consciousness and cultural strength capable of reaching the broadest cross-section of the Slovene population. The sung word was, in fact, one of the most powerful means available to express inner feelings and disseminate the nationally conscious ideas of the nineteenth century. The period in which vocal music was still the most vibrant genre in this country – and the old reading room tradition was still very much alive – also witnessed the first compositional efforts of Saša Šantel, a trained painter as well as a musician, today best known for his near-iconic depictions of Slovene composers on the walls of the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall.

Šantel found affirmation in the musical world above all as a performer and music teacher. He grew creatively on the foundations of classicism, learned from the Romantics, but also listened to folk song. Progressive musical trends did not interest him and he composed out of a heartfelt and sincere need, simply and without artifice. Šantel’s oeuvre is relatively extensive and diverse, with a prominent place occupied by art songs wrapped in the softness of melodic lines and composed in the characteristic spirit of reading room culture. These rarely heard songs will be given an airing in the context of the Art Song Cycle, a traditional part of the Slovenian Music Days. Through carefully designed programmes, this event under the auspices of the Glasbena Matica not only continues to showcase the endless riches of the domestic and international musical repertoire, it highlights the significant role that art song has played in the development of Slovene musical art.

This year’s programme, entirely dedicated to Šantel, lifts the veil on this little-known composer whose legacy will be revived, in an intimate dialogue of voice and piano, by three outstanding interpreters: the versatile soprano Nika Gorič, a convincing performer both on the opera stage and on the concert platform; baritone Jaka Mihelač, who is building an international career with equally decisive steps; and Andreja Kosmač, an established pianist known for her collaborations with numerous domestic and foreign artists who has a particular affinity for chamber music.