Young instrumentalists will perform film themes

 How did you come to decide to prepare an evening of film music with the Slovenian Youth Orchestra?

The programme was created with the artists we wanted to work with this time in mind, and the audience, who are already used to our programmes spanning a colourful mix of genres. The guest soloist Lauri Porra, who will perform with the orchestra as soloist on electric bass guitar, is also interesting as a composer of film music. We will be performing his very own concerto Entropia , and he will certainly be a great inspiration to the young musicians, as he is a classically trained cellist who also plays in the heavy metal band Stratovarius.

Classical music that has been used in films is also an interesting starting point.

The third inspiration was Marcel Štefančič, a great connoisseur of films, music and the life stories of various creators. He will be with us on stage too, and we believe this musical and narrative arc will be exceptionally interesting. I am truly looking forward to it.

Interestingly, orchestras are increasingly opting for evenings of this kind. Why do you think that is?

Firstly, it is simply good music. Beyond that, these evenings appeal to a wider audience, not a purely classical one, and such a moment of connection can be magical. If they are single-theme evenings, you feel as if you are at the cinema with live music. We have somewhat forgotten that magic, and every now and then it is truly welcome.

They say that of all composers of all musical genres in the world, the best known is John Williams, with his film music.

Well, there are also Hans Zimmer and Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota and other giants. John Williams is one of the most popular at the moment. He appears as a conductor, including with famous orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic. And films with his music are being watched and listened to right now by film lovers of all generations, young and old.

When I hear the name John Williams, the first person I think of is Erich Wolfgang Korngold, an early master of film music. He was evidently Williams’s great inspiration.

You have put together a very lively programme, which you will open with the theme from the Tom and Jerry cartoon. Cartoons also have quite a few timeless themes, don’t they?

Cartoons of all kinds are cool. Especially the old Hollywood black-and-white ones, as they come with superb music. It is fascinating how carefully and lavishly they used to do it. The more modern ones too, The Smurfs , or whatever those lovely little bears are called …, all have wonderful scores.

The Waltz of the Flowers from the ballet The Nutcracker is also a very popular and frequently used musical theme.

I find it hard to pass that one by. It is heard so often in films, and it is also a staple of the classical repertoire. In this way the young people in the orchestra build their repertoire, which they will surely play later as members of professional orchestras.

You will devote attention to Jani Golob with two of his themes. Our own composers have also written some timeless film themes.

Jani Golob is one of the giants of Slovenian film music, and a prolific and wonderful composer in general. At the same time, he is a great supporter of our strategy of working with young people and of my work. With him I feel I get answers to every question, and he truly shares his deep knowledge and experience without any reservation. A deep bow to him.

And how did you come to work with Jean Sibelius’s great-grandson Lauri Porra, and what piece will you perform together?

I found Lauri Porra by chance when I was also searching YouTube for contemporary film music. I knew straight away that one day I would perform his concerto Entropia , and the opportunity came quickly. All the other stories and family ties – among other things, he is the husband of my fellow conductor Dalia Stasevska, which I found out later – round off our shared story beautifully and add a little gold dust to it.

Nor can the repertoire do without Leonard Bernstein.

Absolutely not. I hope that, on cue, everyone in the audience will shout Mambo! at the top of their voices.

Nino Rota ​completely redefined the role of music in film.

That is true. I like him in his classical works too.

To finish, you will also offer a medley of Kekec songs.

Kekec is a hero for all generations, and without him, in whatever form, I could hardly imagine our programme of unforgettable film melodies. Nejc Bečan, who arranged the medley, has done a great job masterfully.

The impact is evident every year, both in the feedback from the young participating musicians, which is what pleases us most, and in their obvious progress. Many tell us that without the Slovenian Youth Orchestra they would not have continued playing their instrument; our inspiring but also demanding work fires up many of them. I can honestly say that I am glad that it is with us that young people find someone to talk to and an environment that is encouraging and sincere.

The Slovenian Youth Orchestra has been active for five years now and has become well established in that time. It is probably already possible to assess its impact on the first generation of participating musicians.

We are pleased that we can show them how to use the knowledge they have gained at music schools and how varied musicians’ career paths can be. Not everyone will be a soloist – one has to be aware of that – but they can be anything else: a teacher, producer, sound engineer, arranger and so on. Young people need dialogue, and they find it easier to talk about serious topics if we give them time and space. And it is precisely the orchestra that makes all this possible.

Guest: Lauri Porra

The Finnish composer and instrumentalist Lauri Porra (b. 1977), great-grandson of the composer Jean Sibelius, began playing the cello at the age of six and later switched to bass guitar. In addition to composing for orchestra, film and media, he is also a member of the heavy metal band Stratovarius, with which he has recorded four albums and performed in more than fifty countries. The highly versatile Porra also leads his own ensemble, the Lauri Porra Flyover Ensemble, in which he combines musical styles ranging from rock and jazz to classical, electronic and film music. Entropia , his concerto for electric bass and orchestra, was premiered by the composer as soloist and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra at the concert that opened the 2015 season and at the same time marked the 150th anniversary of Jean Sibelius’s birth.