MARKO HATLAK & FRANC ŽIBERT – HARMONIKART

Franc Žibert, accordion
Marko Hatlak, accordion

Programme:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), Concert for Two Pianos in C Major, BWV 1061
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), Fantasia in F minor for a Mechanical Organ, K. 594
Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Sonata in E Minor
Sonata in D Minor
Marko Hatlak (1980), Harmagong
Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
La muerte del Angel
Oblivion
Tango Ballet

The concert will feature the combined strengths of accordion legends of two generations, Franc Žibert and Marko Hatlak, who are bound by a special history: Hatlak began his musical journey as Žibert’s student.

Marko Hatlak is doubtless one of the most renowned Slovenian accordionists of his generation. In the course of his abundant concert career, he headlined his own tour of the USA, performed as a soloist with the Moscow Symphony orchestra, the Jena Philharmonic, Big Band RTV Slovenia, and Slovenia’s topmost RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. He was a member of some of the biggest Slovenian ensembles, from internationally acclaimed Terrafolk to Distango, Marko Hatlak & Funtango, Stefan Milenkovič, as well as Marko Hatlak in Ars tango, that made names for themselves both at home and abroad. His playing style combines elements of world music with other genres, particularly classical musical (Tango for Rachmaninov, Marko Hatlak and Funtango in Collaboration With SNG Opera in Balet Ljubljana). He played under the batons of En Shao, David De Villiers, and Marko Letonja, and shared the stage with world famous soloists, such as Stefan Milenkovich, Vlatko Stefanovski, Stefan Hussong, and Tommy Emmanuel, as well as exceptional Slovenian musicians including Iztok Mlakar, Matej Bekavec, Mojca Zlobko, Karmen Pečar Koritnik, and Irena Preda.

Franc Žibert began his career as an accordionist as early as the 1970s, when he won first prize at the federal (Yugoslav) competition in Pula. At that same time this was also when he first recorded at Radio Ljubljana. His 1980 concert at Ljubljana’s foremost cultural centre, Cankarjev Dom, was the first concert in Slovenia to feature the accordion in classical music. He collaborated with the most famous Slovenian artists, while the topmost Slovenian composers dedicated their music to him (Jani Golob, Primož Ramovš, Lojze Lebič, Pavel Mihelčič, Pavel Šivic, Aldo Kumar). He recorded countless albums and individual pieces for RTV Slovenia, Süddeutsche Rundfunk Karlsruhe, and SWR Stuttgart. He toured numerous Europe countries, Canada, Israel, and Tunisia. He performed more than fifty premieres for accordion solo or in various chamber ensembles. Since 1984, he has been living in Germany, where he was assistant professor at the Conservatory of Music in Karlsruhe from 1988 to 2016. The accordion orchestra in Mössingen under his leadership has existed for more than sixty years.

Admission: 10 EUR.

In collaboration with: