IZIDOR ERAZEM GRAFENAUER WITH BAROQUE STRING QUARTET: STRINGS OF THE PAST (Slovenia, Croatia)
Izidor Erazem Grafenauer, Baroque guitar, classical guitar
Ana Julija Mlejnik Železnik, Baroque violin
Mojca Jerman, Baroque violin
Hiwote Tadesse, Baroque viola
Lea Sušanj Lujo, Baroque cello
Programme:
Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805), Quintet in C-major, G. 453, “La Ritirata di Madrid”
I. Allegro
II. Maestoso assai
III. Andantino
Santiago de Murcia (1673–1739), 70 skladb, Códice Saldívar No.4
Folias italianas despacio
Fandangos
Canarios
Marionas
Imposibles
Santiago de Murcia, 70 skladb, Códice Saldívar No.4
Espanoletas
Tarantelas
Folias espanoles
Luigi Boccherini, Quintet No. IV in D-major, G.448, “Fandango”
I. Pastorale
II. Allegro maestoso
III. Grave assai
IV. Fandango
Izidor Erazem Grafenauer joined the Music Academy in Ljubljana as an exceptional talent and graduated in 2013 in the class of Professor Andrej Grafenauer. In 2017, he earned his master’s degree in plucked period instruments in Venice, where he studied under Professor Tiziano Bagnati. In 2018, he continued his specialisation in guitar with Professor István Roemer in Zagreb. He has won numerous awards of the highest rank at several national and international competitions and received two Prešeren student prizes awarded by the Academy of Music in Ljubljana.
Izidor is a skilled soloist on a variety of instruments including the guitar, baroque guitar, theorbo, baroque lute, and vihuela. As a chamber musician, he enjoys collaborating with renowned international instrumentalists and singers. He has performed at important festivals and music centres across Slovenia and Europe, including performing as a soloist with orchestras such as the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Maribor SNG Symphony Orchestra, Musica Viva Moskva, La voce strumentale, Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra, Dubrovnik Chamber Orchestra, and others.
In 2018, his first album of music for the baroque lute was published by Divya Records. Baros Records released his second album in 2019, which featured works for guitar and chamber ensembles with guitar by Slovenian composers. In 2022, he collaborated with percussionist Petra Vidmar on their joint album, Xylocorda. The album presents works for marimba and guitar by living composers Tilen Slakan, Wendelin Bitzan, Uroš Rojko, Matjaž Jarc, Peter Šavli, and Emmanuel Séjourné. Izidor teaches chamber music and lute and historical plucked instruments at the Music Academy in Ljubljana.
Ana Julija Mlejnik Železnik has achieved notable success as a soloist with orchestras across the globe in London, Paris, Tokyo, Brussels, Ancona, Toronto, and Ljubljana (Cankarjev Dom). In 2008, during the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, she captivated the audience as a soloist with the Slovenian Police Orchestra in the Great Hall of the Slovenian Philharmonic, and has since shared the spotlight with many renowned musical luminaries. In December 2018, she became assistant professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. She also serves as the artistic director of the Loka da Camera chamber music festival in Škofja Loka. Her passion for music extends to playing in chamber ensembles. In recognition of her talent, she was awarded first prize at the International Competition for Young Musicians in Genoa.
Mojca Jerman is a violinist specialising in baroque and classical music. She studied at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana with Professor Vasilij Meljnikov and has completed her postgraduate studies in baroque violin under the guidance of Professor Enrico Gatti at the Conservatory of Music in Bologna. Her quest for musical excellence has led her to seek out additional education and mentorship opportunities, which have included studying with the illustrious Professor Priya Mitchell at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, and attending various orchestral academies, such as the Cuban-European Youth Academy, Accademia Haydn, and Dartington International Summer School Orchestra. During her studies, she received the Prešeren Student Award in recognition of her artistic achievements, and has also been honoured with the Italian award Il Premio Nazionale delle arti. She primarily performs as a chamber and orchestral musician.
Croatian violist of Ethiopian descent Hiwote Tadesse is honed her craft in Belgium and the Netherlands. She received a master’s degree from the Conservatory of Music in Maastricht, where she distinguished herself as the top student in her class. She won several international awards, including the Citta di Barletta in Italy and the Grand Prix at the International Youth Music Competition in Moscow. Her exceptional skills as a soloist have earned her the opportunity to perform with esteemed orchestras and ensembles, including the Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory in Ghent, the La Chapelle Sauvage ensemble, and the Croatian Baroque Ensemble. She currently serves as lead violist of the renowned Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lea Sušanj Lujo earned her master’s degree in cello from the Zagreb Academy of Music in 2010 and joined the Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra that very same year. Already as a student, she also became a member of the Croatian Baroque Ensemble. She regularly collaborates with exceptional baroque music performers such as Enrico Onofri, Herve Niquet, Catherine Mackintosh, Stefano Montanari, Alessandro Tampieri, Bruno Cocset, Jaap Ter Linden, Rachel Brown, Marcello Gatti, Andreas Helm, and others. In 2019, she recorded an album for the Dubrovnik Summer Festival under the direction of Bojan Čičić and Dmitry Sinkovsky. She plays with several early music ensembles, including Ars Longa, Minstrel, RiBaSol, Trio Corrente, ChiaroScuro, and regularly collaborates with the Antiphonus Ensemble.
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.
