 | The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, and the President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr Ivo Josipović, attended the concert of Gustav Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand which took place in Ljubljana's renovated Congress Square. The concert that inaugurated the Ljubljana Festival 2011 was held under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Slovenia.
The Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, 21 choirs from Slovenia and Croatia and 8 internationally renowned vocal soloists — a total of 1 100 performers — appeared on stage under the baton of Valery Gergiev.
The next day, the Croatian president, Dr Ivo Josipović, and the Slovenian president, Dr Danilo Türk, attended a repeat gala concert in the Arena Zagreb hall, held under the auspices of the Croatian president.
Both concerts marked the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Slovenia and of the Republic of Croatia, the 130th anniversary of Ljubljana's Academia Philharmonicorum, the 140th anniversary of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustav Mahler (1860–1922), who was also the conductor of Ljubljana's Deželno gledališče (provincial theatre). The national anthems of Slovenia and Croatia were played before the concerts. |