Monday
10. July
at 20.30
Mestni muzej (City Museum) - Ljubljana

APERTA TRIO (Slovakia)

Ronald Šebesta, clarinet 
Jozef Lupták, cello
Nora Skuta, piano


Programme:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827), Clarinet trio in B-flat major, Op. 11 

Peter Zagar (1961), Clarinet Trio

Alexander Zemlinsky (1871—1942), Clarinet trio in d minor, Op. 3 


In 1996, Aperta Trio sprouted out of the Opera Aperta Ensemble, a seminal group that strove to imbue Slovak musical culture with the greatest possible quality of interpretation and aspired to innovate in the field of concert dramaturgy. The ensemble’s versatile young musicians leaned towards contemporary music, while the influence of the more experienced players grounded the repertoire in the classical-romantic tradition. This remains the foundation of Aperta Trio, which persists in its mission to find an original way of showcasing a meld of great classical giants and lesser-known contemporary composers.

Cellist Jozef Lupták is the founder and artistic director of the international festival of chamber music Konvergencie (Convergences), which has become one of Slovakia’s most prestigious musical events. A graduate of the Conservatory and Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Jozef continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London with R. Cohen and at the Banff Centre for Arts in Canada with Professors A. Parisot, E. Meyer, and T. Tsutsumi. He is one of the quintessential artists that shape the Slovakian musical and cultural space today, for which he has received numerous prizes (Slovak Republic Ministry of Culture Prize, F. Kafenda Prize), as well as a plethora of nominations (Crystal Wing, Tatra Banka Foundation Prize, Czech Lion, and Sun in the Net for his music for the film Amnestie). His performances have taken him from Europe and the USA all the way to New Zealand. A greatly sought-after chamber musician, he habitually collaborates with world-class artists, ensembles and leading conductors. He regularly holds master courses (Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, USA, and England). His ample discography is constantly growing; he is currently in the process of recording Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello and plans to record his own works next. During lockdown, he was one of the first Slovak artists to fully migrate his performances online as well as organise two online concerts linking Portland, London, and Bratislava. 

Pianist and co-founder of the noted Slovak Opera Aperta Ensemble Nora Skuta is a supremely respected performer of contemporary music. However, her repertoire also includes a noteworthy number of romantic classical pieces, most notably piano duos with cello, clarinet, or violin. Her chosen medium are chamber ensembles such as Aperta Trio as well as a piano duo, which she formed with her husband Miki Skuta. Nora appeared at countless international festivals, having played Prague, Berlin, Salzburg, Dresden, Vienna and many other Central European cities. In her distinguished career, she has collaborated with numerous prominent contemporary classical composers, performers, and conductors, such as X. Phillips, L. Fenyö, B. Griffith, S. von Osten, M. Schröder, Z. Krauze, L. Andriessen, S. Reich, W. Rihm, and a great many more. Composers often ask Nora to premiere their pieces. Her discography comprises largely of chamber music. She has recorded for Slovak Radio, RTVS, ORF, Music Fund, Hevhetia, EMC, Naxos, NEOS, KAIROS, WDR 3. Her solo album of John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (Hevhetia 2005) is highly regarded in professional circles across the globe. It was even featured in renowned BBC critic R. Thomas’s 1001 Classical CDs You Must Hear Before You Die. Since 2009 she has been working as the first pianist of Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik in Salzburg. 

Ronald Šebesta is one of Slovakia’s leading clarinet players. In 1993, after graduating from music academies in Bratislava and Boulogne, he began his career as the 1st clarinettist of the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 1996 he took up the same position with the chamber orchestra Cappella Istropolitana. His interest in contemporary music led him to co-found the VENI ensemble and experimental groups for improvised music Vapori del Cuore and the Slovak/Austrian group DON@U.com. He was one of the founders and artistic leaders of the legendary Slovak chamber group Opera Aperta Ensemble. His interest in period clarinets gave rise to a long-term project, LOTZ trio, a collaboration with his brother Robert featuring 18th century basset horns. He founded a period-instrument orchestra, which regularly performs with the Wiener Akademie, Orfeo Orchestra in Budapest and the Cappela Cracoviensis. He also occasionally enjoys performing solo with symphony orchestras. He has recorded concertos by Suchoň and Zeljenka (Music Fund). His album Classic Malts covers compositions by Stravinsky, Scelsi, Sciarrino, Stockhausen, Reich and Grisey. From 2002 to 2010 he taught clarinet at the Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava and currently teaches at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica.


Complimentary tickets, courtesy of Adria Media Ljubljana, GenLan, and Essai & Acai, can be collected an hour before the concert at the venue. Reservations are not possible.


The event is part of the Festival Spectrum.

© IMAGO SLOVENIAE 2024. Vse pravice pridržane
Izdelava spletne strani: Pozitiven Design, Oblikovanje: LUKS Studio