FESTIVAL 2021
FLORES MUSICAE
Medieval and Renaissance music festival
Nova Gorica – Goriška brda
30 September - 3 October 2021
Flores Musicae festival is the only ancient music festival in the western part of Slovenia and the only festival dedicated to medieval and Renaissance music in Slovenia. In addition to promoting the research in this field and keeping Slovenia's musical heritage alive, the festival also animates the historic sites between Nova Gorica and the Goriška brda region, which are part of our cultural heritage.
The artistic director of the festival is the renowned Slovenian guitarist and lutenist Bor Zuljan, who completed his studies in guitar, lute, medieval music and music pedagogy at the Haute école de musique de Genève. The series of concerts of Slovenian and international musicians will illustrate the various traditions of the longest period in music history.
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Thursday 28 & Wednesday 30 September 2021, 20.00
BOTH CONCERTS ARE SOLD OUT
The Nova Gorica City Art Gallery
IZTOK MLAKAR and DAVID ŠULIGOJ (Slovenia)
Iztok Mlakar, voice, guitar
David Šuligoj, guitar, accordion, double bass
Entrance: 15 €, 20 €
Friday, 1 October 2021, 20.00
Villa Vipolže*
ANNE AZEMA, FABIO ACCURSO (France-USA, Italia)
Anne Azema, voice, harp
Fabio Accurso, lute
The concert was created in collaboration with the
Italian society Dramsam and the Musica Cortese festival.
*An hour before the concert, at 19.00, a guided tour of the Villa Vipolža will be organized.
Saturday, 2 October 2021, 20.00
Cerkev Sv. Mihaela, Šmihel*
DUO MOIRAI (Switzerland, USA)
Hanna Marti, voice, harp
Mara Winter, wooden and bone flutes, voice
The concert was created in collaboration with the
Local community Ozeljan-Šmihel and the NGO institute Kinokašča.
* An hour before the concert, at 19.00, a guided tour of the Church of St. Michael will be organized.
Sunday, 3 October 2021, 20.00
Velika dvorana Kulturnega doma Nova Gorica
EMMA KIRKBY and BOR ZULJAN (England, Slovenia)
Emma Kirkby, voice
Bor Zuljan, lute
The entrance to the concerts (with the exception of the first) is free.
The organizer reserves the right to change the program.
We invite you to join us in concerts of Medieval and Renaissance music which,
combined with the pearls of the region's cultural heritage,
will undoubtedly make it a unique experience.
Festival locations:
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, ŠMIHEL
The Church of St. Michael in Šmihel is one of the architectural gems that will host this year's festival edition. It is located in the parish of Šempas near Nova Gorica and is the oldest church in the parish. This is also reflected in the fact that churches dedicated to St. Michael were constructed as a symbol of Christian triumph over paganism. The original small church with no bell tower was built in the 15th century and has been rebuilt three times in its history. The bell tower and the sacristy were added in the 18th century. The Gothic chancel dates back to the 15th century. It is decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible, saints and symbols. They were restored between 1906 and 1909. In 1962, the frescoes were copied and are now kept in the National Gallery in Ljubljana. The Baroque marble and stone altar decorated with the coat-of-arms at the top was later added. In the alcove behind the altar is the statue of Saint Michael dating back to the 15th century, a work of the Friulian "Tolmezzo school". Saint Michael holds a sword in one hand, a symbol of an army leader, which he used to defeat Satan that lies at his feet. In his other hand, he holds a pair of scales in which he weighs the souls in the name of God, judging whether they are worthy of heaven or not.
VILLA VIPOLŽE, GORIŠKA BRDA
Vila Vipolže, embraced by picturesque vines, has been through different makeovers during its history. It served initially as a hunters' lodge of the Counts of Gorizia who used it for their summer vacations. Later, it was owned by the noblemen of the families Herberstein, Della Torre, Attems and Teuffenbach. In the 17th century, the Venetians renovated it into their summer residence. It then took the form of a rectangular villa with two towers at the corners and the Venetian decor. To this day, it remains surrounded by a magnificent park with a Baroque fountain.