Orange 4: In Memory of Ivo Petrić

Programme: 
Ivo Petrić, Dresdner Konzert
Ludwig van Beethoven, orch. Gustav Mahler, String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95, “Serioso”
Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 6 in A major, WAB 106

As the artistic director of the Slovenian Philharmonic from 1979 to 1995, Ivo Petrić, who passed away in September 2018, guided the activities, the artistic path and the growth of the Philharmonic Orchestra in a visionary way, arranging numerous European tours. As well as leaving an important mark on the Slovenian Philharmonic, Petrić was one of the key figures of contemporary music in Slovenia, with numerous contacts in the international arena.

He was one of the initiators of the Composers’ Club, a cofounder of the composers’ group Pro musica viva, a conductor of Ensemble Slavko Osterc for some two decades, a longstanding editor of the editions published by the Society of Slovene Composers, and, last but not least, the composer of a diverse and extensive opus of mainly instrumental works. In 1987, he wrote Dresdner Konzert for string orchestra, which opens this musical evening dedicated to the composer’s memory. In 1980, Petrić invited the Dresden-born Hartmut Haenchen to the podium of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra as a guest conductor. Today, Haenchen is a distinguished maestro of the most prestigious opera stages and a celebrated conductor of symphonic and vocal-instrumental concerts, with a discography boasting more than 135 albums. Haenchen, who was named conductor of the year in 2017 by the renowned German music magazine Opernwelt, will, in addition to Petrić’s work, present Gustav Mahler’s orchestration of the String Quartet “Serioso” by Ludwig van Beethoven. After the catastrophic reception of its premiere performance, this score languished in the archives of the Vienna Philharmonic for almost a century. The concert will conclude with Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6, which the composer described as his most daring work (“die keckste”).