IRENA GRAFENAUER, flute (Slovenia)
MATE BEKAVAC, clarinet (Slovenia)
KRONBERG ACADEMY (Germany)
William HAGEN, violin (USA) – Mairéad HICKEY, violin (Ireland)
Ziyu Shen, viola (China) – Ivan KARIZNA, cello (Belarus)

Programme:
W. A. MOZART:
Flute Quartet in D major, K.285 (1770)
Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581 (1789)
***
W. A. MOZART:
Divertimento in D major, K.136/125a (1772)

Tickets are available at: Musical Youth of Novi Sad (Katolicka porta 2, Novi Sad, tel. 021/452-344)

Buy on-line tickets here

IRENA GRAFENAUER, flute, Slovenia, Austria
A famous artist and one of the greatest European flutists of the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century, started her musical education at the age of eight. After graduating from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana (1974), she continued her studies with Karlheinz Zöller and Aurèle Nicolet. She won First Prize at international competition in Belgrade (1974), Geneva (1978) and Munich (1979). From 1977 to 1987 she was the principal flutist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Rafael Kubelik and Sir Colin Davis. On October 1987, she was appointed Professor at the Salzburg Mozarteum Academy where she was teaching for more than two decades. She has successfully toured most European countries, the United States, Japan, and Australia as a soloist. She has performed regularly at Gidon Kremer’s Lockenhaus Festival from 1981 to 1990 and toured extensively with Kremer & Friends.
Irena Grafenauer formed a duo with the harpist Maria Graf, with whom she has enjoyed a long and harmonious partnership. She has also worked regularly with the Berlin Philharmonic Duo of Jörg Baumann and Klaus Stoll, pianists such as Oleg Maisenberg, Robert Levin, and Helmut Deutsch, guitar-player Eliot Fisk, and the Cherubini String Quartet.
Irena Grafenauer records exclusively for the Philips label. Among her discographic releases we can single out the CDs with concertos and quartets with the flute by Mozart with members of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the French album with music by Debussy, Ravel, Ibert and Roussel. This renowned Slovenian and world recognised and famous artist won the Prešern’s Prize for her life achievement in 2005.

MATE BEKAVAC, clarinet, Slovenia
One of the most successful clarinettists of his generation in the world, who combines perfectly the qualities and tendencies of the “French”, namely “German school” of clarinet and who has been recording respectable performances as a conductor within the last few years. Bekavac started learning clarinet ain Ljubljana, in the class of Professors Franz Trzan and Darko Brlek and continued his studies at the University of Graz with Bella Kovács, then took his MA degree at Salzburg Mozarteum in the class of Professor Alois Brandhofer. He continued his professional studies at Juilliard School of Music in New York under Charles Neidich and at Paris Conservatory (CNSM) with Michel Arrignon. … Claudio Bohórquez, Lyn Harrell, violist Yuri Bashmet, violinist Patricia Kopachinska, Arriaga, Minguet and Doric, and Tartini string quartets, members of the Orchester der Bayerischen Rundfunk, Metropolitan Orchestra New York, and London Symphony Orchestra. As the leading, namely solo clarinettist he played in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He has collaborated with many conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Sir Colin Davies, Neerne Jaervi, Sir Charles Mackerras, Christopher Hogwood, Murruy Perahia, and Itzak Perlman. His repertoire ranges from baroque adaptations, classical, romantic and contemporary clarinet repertoire, as well as jazz and klezmer influenced pieces. Frequently he is the guest at festivals in Lockenhaus (Austria), Jerusalem, Basel, Dubrovnik, Lucerne and Munich.
Mate Bekavac made audio recordings for the Slovenian Radio archives, and with the Symphony Orchestra of RTV Slovenia and conductor Anton Nanut he recorded a series of capital pieces for clarinet. He has performed at Nomus several times and he presented himself brilliantly to the Novi Sad audience with the recital organised for him at the City Hall by the Music Youth of Novi Sad after his great victory at the renowned International Music Youth Competition in Belgrade (1997) having recognised him at that time already (at his age of twenty) as an artist of the future great international career. For the achievements accomplished during the studies at Salzburg he was awarded an honorary prize of the Austrian Ministry of Science and Art. Bekavac is the winner of first prizes at numerous competitions: in Lisbon (1994), Seville (1995), Belgrade (1997), and Mozarteum in Salzburg (1992). He was also the finalist of the YCA in New York (1996), the winner of the Grand Prix of the Yamaha Competition in Vienna (1994), Eurovision Jury Award in Warsaw (1994), etc. As a soloist of exceptional technique, who plays with intensity, virtuosity, specific sound nuance and character, as well as strong depth of expression, which are the qualities only of the greatest artists, also called the “Paganini of clarinet”, Mate Bekavac has performed with Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Cappela Istropolitana, Camerata Israel, Moscow, Salzburg, Munich and Zagreb soloists, Orchester der Philharmonie der Nationen, and Orchester der Oper in Frankfurt, Symphonie Orchester Basel and all orchestras from Slovenia and many philharmonic orchestras from abroad. In chamber music for which he cherishes special devotion and love, with the emphasis on unconventional programme he played with the violinist Gidon Kremer, flutist Irena Grafenauer, oboist Heinz Holliger, pianist Elena Baskhirova, cellists Sol Gabeta, Nicolas Altstaedt, Claudio Bohórquez …