Wednesday 09. July at 20.30
MESTNI MUZEJ (CITY MUSEUM) – LJUBLJANA
Lana Trotovšek, violin
Maria Canyigueral, piano
Programme:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), Violin Sonata No.5, Op. 24, “Spring”
I. Allegro
II. Adagio molto espressivo
III. Scherzo. Allegro molto — Trio
IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo
César Franck (1822–1890), Violin Sonata
I. Allegretto ben moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo-Fantasia. Ben moderato — Molto lento
IV. Allegretto poco mosso
Igor Alexandrovich Frolov (1937–2013), Concert Fantasy on themes from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess
The duo of Lana Trotovšek and Maria Canyigueral has garnered international acclaim for their exceptional artistry. The Strad lauded their Wigmore Hall recital as “remarkable,” emphasizing their “true feeling of live intuitive performance.”
Trotovšek and Canyigueral began their collaboration in 2014 embarking on the CD recording project including works by Granados, Škerjanc, Finzi and Franck, for which they received a Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards in California in 2016. Since then they have performed across UK, Japan, France, Belgium, Spain and Slovenia.
In August 2020, they recorded and performed all of Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas over three consecutive evenings at the 68th Ljubljana Festival, which was followed by the Prešeren Fund Award for Lana Trotovšek, the highest recognition in the Republic of Slovenia for achievements in the field of artistic creation . The recitals were published on 4 CDs under the Slovenian Radio and TV label ZKP in collaboration with Festival Ljubljana. The CDs received 5 stars in Musical Opinion magazine (UK), an outstanding review in Revista Musical Catalana and “Melomano de oro” in the Melomano magazine.
In February 2021, it was their second appearance at Wigmore Hall, this time an online broadcast on Classic FM with over 500 thousand views, where they performed the entire Beethoven programme. In May 2023, they premiered works by Catalan composer Jordi Cervello in Barcelona’s L’Auditori, receiving a standing ovation and a rave review. The concert was broadcast by Spanish National Radio. Their two recent CDs Prokofiev Milestones Vol.1 and Vol.2, were released by SOMM Recordings in January 2024 and January 2025, and were praised in Gramophone and Textura Magazine.
Violinist Lana Trotovšek has captivated audiences with her ‘true feel of live intuitive performance’ (The Strad ) and for bringing ‘freshness, depth and insight’ to her interpretations. Washington Post has described her as ‘Radiant’ and praised her ‘clean, refined tone with musical sense of phrasing and impeccable intonation’.
Lana Trotovšek made her solo debut with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in 2012, and has since appeared with some of the world’s leading orchestras. In July 2024, she performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Zubin Mehta and the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino at the Ljubljana Festival. The concert was recorded by Panamax and broadcast on Mezzo Live and Medici TV. She has toured with Moscow Soloists and Yuri Bashmet, performed with the London Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda, the Shanghai Philharmonic and Grammy-Award winning composer Tan Dun, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Rafael Payare and Vasily Petrenko. She also appeared with several orchestras in the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center at the Shanghai International Spring Festival and in Nanjing.
In the United States, Trotovšek has toured extensively, earning praise from the Washington Post as “radiant” and from the Philadelphia Inquirer as “an emerging voice to watch.” In Japan, she has appeared in Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Yokohama, performing in venues such as Minato Mirai Hall.
She has performed at some of the most prestigious venues, including Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven. Her talent has taken her beyond Europe to perform in China, Japan, Thailand, Lebanon, the UAE, Canada, Mexico, the USA.
In 2021, she received the Prešeren Fund Award. Currently based in London, she holds a professorship in violin at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Her international profile continues to grow, with recent invitations to lead masterclasses in London, Belgium, Japan, and Mexico. Her instrument is a violin crafted in 1750 by Pietro Antonio Dalla Costa.
Lana Trotovšek studied violin for 12 years with Prof. Volodya Balžalorsky, and was also a pupil of the legendary violinist Ruggiero Ricci for two years.
Maria Canyigueral has been described by Pizzicato as a pianist who “convinces with a finely nuanced sensitive playing, that one wants to listen to” and as a “Pianist of great personality” by La Vanguardia. She has inspired collaborations with outstanding contemporary composers such as Antón García Abril, Benet Casablancas, Nicolas Bacri and Konstantia Gourzi.
Recent highlights include recitals at Palau de la Música Catalana and Auditori Barcelona, at Fundación Juan March, at the Wigmore Hall and the Ljubljana Festival.
She recently made her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu performing Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy Op. 80 with Fundació Liceu Orchestra and conductor Manel Valdivieso. Maria has performed in Spain, the UK, Japan, Belgium, Slovenia and France. In addition to her live performances, Maria has made an impact with her recordings. Her solo album, Avantguarding Mompou for Audite (2020), has been critically acclaimed by International Piano, Pizzicato, Revista Musical Catalana, and Melómano. The project was awarded by the Arts Council and supported by Instituto Cervantes, Fundació Mompou, and Institut Ramon Llull.