ENSEMBLE 1781 (Slovenia, Italy)

Aljaž Beguš, Matic Kuder, classical clarinet
David Fliri, Erik Košak, natural horn
Paolo Calligaris, Claudio Verh, classical bassoon

Programme:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Serenade no. 11 in E-flat major, K. 375                                                 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1828)
Sexstet in E-flat major, op. 71
March for Wind Sexstet in B-flat major, WoO 29

The Ensemble 1781 performs the music of classical period, authentically recreating the sound of musical works written for wind instruments. A group of renowned slovene performers gathered on the initiative of Paolo Calligaris who wanted to share his enthusiasm with old instruments with his fellow musicians. The six artists began with intensive study of compositions by Mozart and Beethoven – this is how their artistic journey started. By playing on copies of wonderful old instruments the Ensemble 1781 continues to revive a repertoire rarely heard at conventional concerts.

Aljaž Beguš graduated from the Ljubljana Academy of Music in the class of Jože Kotar and completed his studies in Madrid, under Michel Arrignon. He won many competitions and was also the semi-finalist of the EBU New Talent Competition in Bratislava. As a chamber musician he shared a stage with exceptional artists (Dag Jensen, Nicholas Daniel, Enrico Bronzi, Bruno Canino, Dora Schwarzberg, Lorenzo Borrani, Alexander Lonquich, Maria João Pires, Ensemble MidtVest). As a soloist he performed with the Slovenian Philharmonic (in which he is currently employed), with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra from Mantua, the RTV Slovenia Big Band etc. He has performed at numerous prestigious festivals such as BBC Proms, the Luzern Festival, Young Euro Classic, the Bolzano Festival, the Mantua Chamber Music Festival, the Salzburg Festival and the Chamber Music Festival in Lockenhaus.

Matic Kuder, another student of a distinguished professor Jože Kotar, graduated from the Ljubljana Academy of Music and continued his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz (in the class of Gerald Pachinger). He was awarded the Student Prešeren Prize as well as numerous awards at national and international competitions. From 2015 he is a member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. Occasionally he collaborates with the Slovenian Philharmonic, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the Spira Mirabilis Orchestra and the Leonora Orchestra. In December 2016 he successfully auditioned for the first clarinet at the prestigious Nuremberg Philharmonic.

David Fliri was born in Naturns (Naturno), South Tyrol, and received his first horn lessons at the local music school at the age of nine, before moving on to the Gymnasium in Meran at the age of 13. In 2009 he received a 1st prize in the competition Prima la Musica. Since 2010 he has been studying with Hansjörg Angerer at the Mozarteum Salzburg in the »Konzertfach« Horn, and since 2013 at the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar with Jörg Brückner. He completed his bachelor’s degree in January 2015 with honors. Since the 2014/2015 season the hornist performed with the Loh-Orchestra (Nordhausen, Thuringia), in concerts as well as in opera and ballet performances. He also regularly performs at the Theater Erfurt, with the Hofkapelle Meiningen, the Gustav Mahler Academy, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and at the Salzburg Festival. However, the special musical interest of David Fliri is the historic natural horn; in this specialist area he performed with the Salzburger Hofmusik.

Erik Košak completed his studies of the horn in 2015 at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He studied with renowned professors and pedagogues (Hansjörg Angerer, Boštjan Lipovšek, Johannes Hinterholzer, Radovan Vlatković). He is active as an orchestral and chamber musician. In 2012 and 2013 he was a member of »ORFF« Academy of the Munich Radio Orchestra. He performs with the Slovenian Philharmonic, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonie Salzburg etc. Already during his studies he played also on a natural horn;  as a »historical performer« he participates in numerous German, Austrian and Italian baroque music ensembles. From the season 2014/2015 he is a member of the SNG Ljubljana Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

Paolo Calligaris graduated with professor Stefan Canuti in Castelfranco Veneto. He also studied with Vincenzo Mengini, Marco Costantini and Ovidiu Danzi. At first he was a solo bassoonist of the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra; currently he holds the same post in the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a member of the Slowind wind quintet. He regularly collaborates with renowned orchestras (Chamber Orchestra from Mantua, Chamber Orchestra from Padua, Camerata Bern etc.). He taught bassoon and chamber music at the Conservatory of Music in Klagenfurt. As a visiting professor he teaches at the Udine Conservatory, as well as at international summer music courses in Slovenia and abroad.

Claudio Verh graduated from the bassoon at the Udine Conservatory and completed his studies with Milan Turkovič and Massimo Datt in Turin. Since 1992 he has played a bassoon in the orchestra of Teatro Verdi in Triest. In 2011 he graduated from baroque and classical bassoon and dulcian at the Paolo Tognon Classical Music School in Venice. He collaborated with many historical music specialists such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Gustav Leonhardt, Emma Kirkby, Neville Marriner, Christophe Coin, Andrea Coen, Sergio Balestracci, Filippo Maria Bressan, Andrea Marcon. He teaches baroque bassoon and dulcian at the school ILMA in Pordenone (Italy).

Free admission.