First highlights of the 9th Winter Festival

[PRESS RELEASE - Ljubljana, 28 October 2025]

Over the past nine years, the festival has become an indispensable part of the cultural calendar, bringing together selected Slovene and international performers and creating a unique winter atmosphere in which tradition meets contemporary artistic excellence. 

ROMEO AND JULIET IN LJUBLJANA 

The 9th Winter Festival opens on 10 February 2026 in the Gallus Hall of Cankarjev Dom with Hector Berlioz’s monumental dramatic symphony Romeo and Juliet. Berlioz was inspired to create the work by an 1827 performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy starring Harriet Smithson, who later became his wife. In his work, the emotions of the lovers are revealed through the orchestra, while the chorus and soloists add further depth, from the crowded streets of Verona to the final echoes in the graveyard. The performance will be led by Charles Dutoit, a conductor with a career spanning more than six decades whose achievements include two Grammy Awards and collaborations with the world’s greatest orchestras. Appearing with him will be the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kaunas State Choir, tenor Cyrille Dubois, mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne and bass Edwin Crossley-Mercer.

THE HARMONIOUS PATHS OF THE TROMBONE

On 17 February (beginning at 7.30 pm) the Knights’ Hall of the Križanke complex will resonate with the sound of the Slokar Trombone Quartet, one of the world’s most renowned trombone ensembles. Since its founding in 1973, the quartet has explored music from every era, from the Renaissance to the present day, and has created new works in collaboration with leading composers. The ensemble, consisting of Branimir Slokar, György Gyivicsán, Wassil Christov and Ben Green, will present a programme linking Baroque masters, classical works and modern approaches, enriched with echoes of jazz and film music. The concert will also feature young musicians from the Ljubljana Conservatoire of Music and Ballet: Lenja Juntes Horvat, Črt Pačnik, Lenart Maček, Andrej Karba, Izak Kozar and Jakob Kerže.

EMBRACED BY MEDITERRANEAN WAVES

On 18 February (beginning at 7.30 pm), the concert hall of the Slovenian Philharmonic will fill with the sounds of the Dissonance Ensemble, joined by distinguished Spanish guests – conductor Miguel Ángel Navarro and trumpeter Vicente Campos. The ensemble brings together acclaimed Ljubljana musicians from different generations and is famed for its search for fresh interpretations and creative dialogue between tradition and modernity. This time, it will take the audience on a journey along the sunlit shores of the Mediterranean: in Luigi Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D major, the rhythm of Andalusia comes to life; the Intermezzo from Enrique Granados’s opera Goyescas conjures up the world of the painter’s imagery; in Mar i Bel by Ferrer Ferran, the melodies of Valencia are heard; while Giuseppe Tartini’s Violin Concerto in D major and Eduard Toldrà’s Vistes al mar blend Baroque virtuosity with the poetry of the sea.

PIANISTIC BRILLIANCE: PIANO 2026 FINALS 

The Ljubljana Festival International Competition – Piano 2026 takes place from 21 February to 1 March 2026 under the artistic direction of Epifanio Comis. The first two rounds will be open to the public free of charge, while the two final rounds will be held on 28 February and 1 March. Six young pianists from various countries will perform with orchestra in the Gallus Hall of Cankarjev Dom, competing for the main prize of 50,000 euros, with the winner chosen by an 11-member international jury chaired by Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak. Special diplomas will also be awarded for the best performance of works from individual periods and works by Slovene composers.

MASTERY OF THE BLACK AND WHITE KEYS

The festival will end on 2 March in the Gallus Hall of Cankarjev Dom with a recital by Grigory Sokolov, one of the greatest living pianists. The Russian virtuoso became the youngest-ever winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition at the age of sixteen. He typically performs only around seventy concerts a year, immersing himself completely in each programme. His performances are characterised by a rich tonal palette, crystalline polyphony and an intensity that draws listeners deep into the music. His meticulous relationship with the piano enables him to express every note with absolute precision. After two decades without recording, he signed a contract with Deutsche Grammophon ten years ago and has since released numerous live recital albums, the most recent devoted to Henry Purcell and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.