4Saxess Ensemble
Andrej Omejc, soprano saxophone
Oskar Laznik, alto saxophone
Matjaž Drevenšek, tenor saxophone
Dejan Prešiček, baritone saxophone

Programme:
Johannes Brahms, arr. Andrej Omejc: Variations on a Theme by Haydn in B-flat major, Op. 56a
Josip Ipavec, arr. Andrej Omejc:
Song in Folk Tone (Emil von Schönaich-Carolath)
In the Spring
Alojz Srebotnjak, arr. Andrej Omejc: Slovenian Folk Dances
Josip Ipavec, arr. Andrej Omejc:
Zingara (Anonymous)
Ich will meine Seele tauchen (Heinrich Heine)
Frühlingsrast (Hans Willy Märtens)
Joseph Lanner, arr. Andrej Omejc: Styrian Dances, Op. 165
Benjamin Ipavec, arr. Andrej Omejc: Serenade for String Orchestra

Through concert performances in Europe and the USA, appearances at major music festivals and a successful collaboration with the record label ZKP RTV Slovenia, the 4Saxess Ensemble saxophone quartet, consisting of Andrej Omejc, Oskar Laznik, Matjaž Drevenšek and Dejan Prešiček, has developed into one of the leading ensembles of its type, both nationally and internationally. The idea behind the Ljubljana–Vienna  project is to highlight the connection between these two cities, both through the programme and through the choice of guests. The ensemble will be joined on stage by the Slovene soprano Mojca Bitenc, who has appeared at the Ljubljana Opera in the 2023–24 season in the roles of Lisa (The Land of Smiles),  Tatyana (Eugene Onegin),  Mimì (La bohème)  and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte),  the Slovene violinist Petra Kovačič, who has been a first violin at the Vienna State Opera since 2016 and a full member of the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic) since 2019, and the Carinthian Slovene baritone Gabriel Lipuš, a regular collaborator with artists such as Bernarda Fink and Vinko Möderndorfer. All the pieces in the programme have been arranged for the ensemble by Andrej Omejc. They include Variations on a Theme by Haydn  by Johannes Brahms, who spent much of his professional life in Vienna, songs in Slovene and German by Josip Ipavec, the “Slovene Schubert”, Slovenian Folk Dances  by Alojz Srebotnjak, Styrian Dances  by Joseph Lanner, and Benjamin Ipavec’s Serenade,  a work well known to Slovene audiences. The focus of the evening will thus be on presenting the complementary Slovene and Austrian cultural traditions, a connection that still endures today.