Traditional music
Whenever you think of traditional or folk music in Slovenia, the name Avsenik Ensemble (brothers Slavko and Vilko Avsenik) immediately springs 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 over fifty years. Since then, other folk revivalists have followed in their footsteps, such as Katice and its beautiful female choirs, or groups like Kurja Koža, Volk Folk, Tolovaj Mataj and Trutamora Slovenica, who use ancient instruments (cymbalum, ocarina, gudalo, etc.). And if you want to hear the tamboura - which, as the name suggests, is not a lute - ensembles such as Tamburaši iz Cirkulan and Beltinška banda focus their compositions on this instrument.
Fancy hearing some traditional music live on stage? A must-see event in Slovenian folklore is Lent, Maribor's international summer festival. Set between the Judgement Tower and the Water Tower on the banks of the Drava River, it is Slovenia's biggest open-air event. The program includes traditional music, of course, but also jazz and classical.
Classical music
To find the first great name in Slovenian classical music, we have to go back to the 16th century with Jakob Petelin Gallus (1550-1591), known as Carniolus. A composer of masses, madrigals and motets, he left a legacy of high quality sacred music. 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 former was a conductor and pianist who wrote almost 500 works, and is also considered the father of Slovenian opera. The latter was a master of the romantic lied, author of over 200 lieder on texts by Möricke, Eichendorff and Goethe, as well as two operas. In the 20th century, Slovenian art music became increasingly dynamic. These included 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, tempestuous oeuvre. His contemporaries include Primož Ramovš, a prolific serialist who worked for musical renewal, and Vinko Globokar, a contemporary music composer and fabulous Franco-Slovenian 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 Philharmonique de Strasbourg from 2012 to 2021. The country also boasts two top-quality orchestras, the RTV Symphony Orchestra and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. With a history spanning over three hundred years (its origins date back to the very early 18th century), the latter is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world. A number of well-known names have led the orchestra through the ages, including the impressive Franco-American conductor George Pehlivanian and Emmanuel Villaume from Strasbourg. The orchestra is based at the magnificent Slovenska Filharmonija, whose rich past is palpable. Another of the country's great classical music venues is theSlovenian National Opera. With its neo-Renaissance style, this imposing edifice steeped in Slovenian history offers operas by international and local authors, as well as ballet classics and contemporary works. It's also worth keeping an eye on the programming at Cankarjev dom. This cultural center, Slovenia's largest, can welcome such classical greats as Carlos Kleiber, Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Israel Symphony Orchestra. In the provinces, the Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor offers theater performances (in Slovenian), as well as ballets and operas (classical and modern, Slovenian and international), and symphony orchestra concerts. In September, Maribor organizes a festival with a program that is always well-crafted, ranging from classical to contemporary art music.
Rock and metal
When you learn that a band like Siddharta is able to fill the country's stadiums, you understand the passion Slovenians feel for rock. The genre couldn't be more popular - right up to the extremes of punk and metal - especially when it exudes the scent of vitriol. The undisputed champion of the genre is 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 their origins, Laibach emerged from the 1990s art movement Neue Slovenische Kunst, which played with fascist aesthetics, often to the limit of good taste. Itching to scratch the surface, they paved the way for a metal scene that was more than a little crowded.
A symbol of Ljubljana's (and the country's) alternative culture, Metelkova is a must-see. Housed in a former barracks (behind the railway station) since 1991, the place is home to a motley crew of artists, visual artists and musicians. The atmosphere is quite unique, a little Berlinish, and the programming of its various clubs and stages is very good. The capital's other cultural mecca is Kino Šiška. Cooler, less punk in spirit, this dynamic center of urban culture offers exhibitions, plays, screenings and concerts of experimental, independent, pop and electronic music. Erik Truffaz, Yann Tiersen and Goran Bregović have all performed here. You can go there with your eyes closed - there's always something to suit your taste. For rock fans, Maribor has an interesting venue with a metal bent, Pekarna. Alternatively, not far from Novo Mesto is Rockotocec, a gigantic festival dedicated to the genre.
Jazz
It may seem like a well-kept secret, but Slovenia has a fine jazz scene, with some of the biggest names on the current circuit. These include guitarist Primož Grašič, who has collaborated with such greats as Toots Thielemans; saxophonist Vasko Atanasovski, renowned for his beautiful Slavic touches; the rather experimental bassist and double bassist Žiga Golob; Bojan Gorišek, also known for his interpretations of Satie and Glass; Milko Lazar and his fine improvisations on the harpsichord; and Lado Jakša, clarinettist and one-time collaborator with Laibach.
While the country's major cities boast some very pleasant jazz venues - such as the Gajo Jazz Club in Ljubljana or the elegant and well-programmed Jazz Club Satchmo in Maribor - Slovenia offers two fine dedicated festivals. The first, the Jazz Festival Ljubljana, is an institution in the capital, now in its sixtieth year, while the second is the Cerkno International Jazz Festival, which brings big names to a small town at the end of each 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's never an opportunity to miss a dance: at village festivals ( veselica), weddings and even in some discos that play traditional music. Paradoxically, given the size of its territory, Slovenia boasts a wealth of dance styles. As in many of the region's countries, waltz and polka are very popular, but more peculiar to Slovenia is the famous štajeriš, regularly performed as a couple, the čardaš, also to be performed as a pair and "in mirror", the lender, the sotiš, the mazurka and the zibenšrit. Depending on the region, the influence of Italian, Austrian, Croatian or Hungarian neighbors is evident here and there.
Given its importance in Slovenian heritage, dance is a feature of many events, such as the Ljubljana Festival, a tradition since 1953, or Folkart, the International Folklore Festival in Maribor, an enchanting event initiated in 1993. In fact, anyone visiting Maribor around October would be well-advised to attend the Old Vine Festival (Stara Trta), which celebrates the grape harvest with lots of music, wine and (of course) dancing. Equally typical and atypical, the Radovljica Classical Music Festival celebrates the return to the valleys of the cows that used to graze at altitude, with plenty of traditional dancing. A great time.
