Traditional music
As soon as one thinks of traditional or folk music in Slovenia, the name Avsenik Ensemble (brothers Slavko and Vilko Avsenik) immediately comes to mind. In the 1950s, the siblings modernized the folk repertoire (polka, waltz, metlika, tkalecka and all the traditional music of Carniola) under the name Oberkrainer. Gorged with brass and accordion, the genre has been thrilling not only Slovenians, but also German audiences for more than fifty years. Since then, other folk revivalists have followed suit, such as Katice with its beautiful female choirs, or groups like Kurja Koža, Volk Folk, Tolovaj Mataj and Trutamora Slovenica, which use old instruments (cymbalum, ocarina, gudalo, etc.). Moreover, if you want to hear the tambura - which, as the name suggests, is not a lute - ensembles such as Tamburaši iz Cirkulan or Beltinška banda focus their compositions on this instrument
Would you like to hear traditional music on stage? A must-see event in Slovenian folklore is Lent, the international summer festival in Maribor. Located between the Judgment Tower and the Water Tower on the banks of the Drava River, it is the largest open-air event in Slovenia. The program includes traditional music, of course, but not only that, but also jazz and classical music.
Classical music
To find the first great name in Slovenian classical music, we must go back to the 16th century with Jakob Petelin Gallus (1550-1591), known as Carniolus. A composer of masses, madrigals and motets, he left behind sacred music of great quality. The 19th century was marked by the influence of German Romanticism and led by two great names: Jurij Mihevec (1805-1885) and Hugo Wolf (1860-1903). The first is a conductor and pianist author of nearly 500 works, also considered the father of Slovenian opera. The second is a master of the romantic lied, author of more than 200 lieder on texts by Möricke, Eichendorff or Goethe, as well as two operas. In the 20th century, Slovenian art music became more dynamic. Among the most prominent were Marij Kogoj (1895-1956), a symbol of the expressionist avant-garde of the 1920s, and the more traditionalist Lucijan Marija Škerjanc. One of the most important composers of modern Slovenian music, Škerjanc is a pillar of local romanticism with a dark and tempestuous work. Among the contemporaries are Primož Ramovš, a prolific serialist who worked for musical renewal, and Vinko Globokar, a composer of contemporary music and a fabulous Slovenian-French trombonist who completely renewed the instrument's technique
Today, Slovenia continues to shine on the international music scene with renowned artists such as mezzo-soprano Marjana Lipovšek, chamber and symphonic composer Vito Žuraj and Marko Letonja, conductor of the Strasbourg Philharmonic from 2012 to 2021. The country can also count on two great orchestras, the RTV Symphony Orchestra and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. With a history of more than three hundred years (its origins date back to the very beginning of the 18th century), the latter is among the oldest musical institutions in the world. Some well-known names have conducted the orchestra over the years, such as the impressive Franco-American conductor George Pehlivanian and Emmanuel Villaume from Strasbourg. The orchestra resides in the magnificent Slovenska Filharmonija, whose rich past is palpable. Another great place of the country for classical music, theSlovenian National Opera. With its neo-Renaissance style, this imposing building steeped in Slovenian history offers operas by international and local authors as well as ballet classics and contemporary works. It is also worth keeping an eye on the program of the Cankarjev dom. This cultural center, the most important in Slovenia, can host such classical greats as Carlos Kleiber, Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra or the Israel Symphony Orchestra. In the provinces, the Slovenian National Theater in Maribor offers theater performances (in Slovenian language), but also ballets and operas (classical and modern, Slovenian and international), as well as symphony orchestra concerts. In September, Maribor organizes a festival with a well elaborated program, ranging from classical to contemporary music.
Rock and metal
When you learn that a band like Siddharta is capable of filling the country's stadiums, you can see how passionate Slovenians are about rock. The genre is extremely popular - even to its extremes like punk or metal - especially when it gives off a vitriolic scent. The all-round champion in the field is undoubtedly the band Laibach. If the name rings a bell, it's because in 2015 they were the first foreign band to perform in North Korea. Accustomed to controversy since its origins, Laibach emerged from the Neue Slovenische Kunst art movement of the 1990s, which played, often at the edge of good taste, with fascist aesthetics. Scratch hairs that paved the way for a more than full metal scene
Symbol of the alternative culture in Ljubljana (and in the country), Metelkova is an obligatory passage. Installed in a former barracks (behind the station) since 1991, the place sees a colourful fauna, various artists, visual artists and musicians. The atmosphere is quite unique, a bit Berlin-like, and the programming of its various clubs and stages is very good. Theother cultural highlight of the capital is the Kino Šiška. Cooler, less punk in spirit, this very dynamic centre of urban culture offers exhibitions, plays, screenings and concerts of experimental, independent, pop or electronic music. Erik Truffaz, Yann Tiersen and Goran Bregović have already been there. You can go there with your eyes closed, you will always find something to your taste. For rock fans, Maribor offers an interesting place with a penchant for metal, Pekarna. Otherwise, not far from Novo Mesto is Rockotocec, a gigantic festival dedicated to the genre.
Jazz
It almost seems like a well-kept secret as it is so little highlighted, but Slovenia has a very nice jazz scene with some important names in the current circuit. Among them are the guitarist Primož Grašič who has collaborated with great names such as Toots Thielemans, the saxophonist Vasko Atanasovski known for his beautiful Slavic touches, the rather experimental bassist and double bassist Žiga Golob, Bojan Gorišek also known for his interpretations of Satie or Glass, Milko Lazar and his beautiful improvisations on the harpsichord, or Lado Jakša, clarinettist at one time collaborating with Laibach
While the country's major cities have very pleasant stages for jazz - such as the Gajo Jazz Club in Ljubljana or the very elegant and well-programmed Jazz Club Satchmo in Maribor - Slovenia offers above all two beautiful dedicated festivals. The first, the Jazz Festival Ljubljana, is an institution in the capital, which has passed its sixtieth edition, the second is the International Jazz Festival Cerkno, which invites big names to a small town every end of May.
The dance
You don't have to be there long to realize that Slovenians love to dance. Above all, they love their traditional dances. In Slovenia, there is never a missed opportunity to dance: at village festivals ( veselica), at weddings and even in some discos that play traditional music. Paradoxically, given the size of its territory, Slovenia enjoys a great wealth of dances. As in many countries in the region, waltz and polka are very popular, but more unique to Slovenia is the famous štajeriš, which is regularly performed as a couple, the čardaš, which is also performed as a couple and "in mirror", the lender, the sotiš, the mazurka or the zibenšrit. Depending on the region, the influence of Italian, Austrian, Croatian or Hungarian neighbors is logically palpable here or there
Given its importance in the Slovenian heritage, dance is invited to many events such as the Ljubljana festival, a tradition since 1953, or Folkart, the international folklore festival in Maribor, a fairy tale event initiated in 1993. By the way, anyone visiting Maribor around October would make the right choice by going to the Old Vine Festival (Stara Trta) which celebrates the grape harvest with lots of music, wine and (of course) dancing. Just as typical and atypical, the festival of Classical Music in Radovljica celebrates the return to the valleys of the cows that used to graze in the highlands with a lot of traditional dances. A good time.
