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Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_04April_1 - Index

s o C i e t y
gERMAN CuLTuRE IN NOvO MESTO
At the beginning of April, the Goethe Institute in Ljubljana and the
Urban Municipality of Novo mesto organised some modest, but
highly educational German cultural days, intended for a young
public, with which they showed that in order to be successful, such
projects need not be organised only in a metropolis, since smaller
towns show even more gratitude. The programme comprised an
exhibition of the best works from the photographic competition
‘I Draw Myself a Friend’ from Germany, and from a photography
competition called ‘What Makes Novo mesto Such a Nice Place?’,
which includes 42 photographs and will be touring schools in Novo
mesto. There was also a special exhibition of UNESCO cultural
heritage in Germany, which includes a presentation of numerous
objects from Germany on the register of world cultural heritage,
where Germany is one of the best represented countries; and a
child and youth orchestra from the town of Lagenhagen played
in the hall of Novo mesto cultural centre. The youngest public
enjoyed the presentation of several German children’s plays, and
the older ones enjoyed screenings of the renowned movie ‘The
Life of Others’ (Das Leben der Anderen), which won an Academy
Award for best foreign film.
wEEk OF SLOvENIAN DRAMA IN kRANJ
CONCLuDES
One of the three most important Slovenian theatre festivals ended
by choosing the best performance and a new play. The Grum
Award winner for the best play was Rok VilËnik, known under
the pseudonym Rokgre, for his play ‘Garbage on the Moon’; the
best performance and ©eligo Award winner was Cankar’s drama
‘Romantic Souls’ directed by Sebastijan Horvat and performed by
Drama SNG Ljubljana. ‘Romantic Souls’ earned the award due to
its precise consideration of the substantial and formal values of the
text, although it is set in the modern period, the jury explained
its choice for ©eligo Award. The comedy ‘The Doctor in Spite of
Himself’ performed by Iztok Mlakar, directed by Vito Taufer and coproduced
by Koper Theatre and SNG Nova Gorica, persuaded the
public who always love simple stories and a good and exciting play
that the popular Iztok Mlakar is always able to perform. Otherwise,
there were 13 home-grown and three foreign performances of
plays this year, all performed before full halls.
sinfo april 08 22
CARINThIAN CuLTuRAL DAYS IN
LJubLJANA
The Carinthian Cultural Days in Ljubljana, with which Slovenes
from Austrian Carinthia present their culture, have become an
indispensable part of Ljubljana cultural life, where more and
more people participate every year. This year, the Carinthians
presented themselves with an excellent selection of artistic works
from the traditional meeting in SveËe, where a large number of
highly distinguished artists from both sides of the border have
been creating for 27 years; with a conference on the spiritual
cultural heritage of Carinthia and Slovenia, which was part of the
Year of Intercultural Dialogue; and of course, with performances
by their cultural groups, where excellent choirs and music groups
are still at the forefront (this year, the Podjuna Choir and the Foltej
Hartman Quintet); writers, who were represented this year within
the framework of the Celje Mohor Society, attract more and
more attention, and the young Carinthian film-makers, of whom
Andrina MraËnikar, Milena Olip and ©tefan Reichmann presented
their works this year. The concert by the Kranj music school and
pupils from a Slovenian music school in Carinthia − a unique
educational community that has musically educated Carinthian
children for more than thirty years and is one of the strongest
connections between Slovenian and Austrian Carinthians north
of the Karavanke - also deserves a mention.
bALLET DAYS IN LJubLJANA
This spring is very special for Slovenian ballet − in the celebration
of the 90th anniversary of the Ljubljana Ballet, World Dance Day
and the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union, several
events took place within ballet days in April.
The Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ljubljana
hope that this marathon ballet event, which is intended for ballet
and dance enthusiasts as well as Ljubljana residents and other
visitors, will become a fixture in the future.
This year’s event featured German choreographer Uwe Scholz,
who has made a great contribution to the classical ballet formation
of today. That is why the first ballet days were especially marked
by the premiere of his ballet evening ‘Mozart vs. Schumann’.
Ninety is a nice round anniversary even for Slovenian ballet.
Although it may seem that institutional theatre, musical theatre
and ballet in Slovenia have had a brief hsitory compared to other
European countries, we can proudly look to the future. Visitors