The Zagreb Saxophone Quartet

Dragan Sremec, soprano saxophone
Goran Merčep, alto saxophone
Saša Nestorović, tenor saxophone
Matjaž Drevenšek, baritone saxophone

Itamar Golan, piano (Israel)

Monday, October 6th 2008 at 8.15 p.m.
Great hall of the Nova Gorica Arts Centre

This year’s musical programme begins with a special music event. At the opening concert, the renowned Zagreb Saxophone Quartet and world famous Israeli pianist Itamar Golan will be the stars of the evening. This internationally recognised quartet are made up of the following musicians: Dragan Sremec, a professor of saxophone and deputy dean at the Zagreb Music Academy, Goran Merčep, a professor of chamber music at the Zagreb Music Academy, Saša Nestorović, art director of the Big Band of the Croatian Radio and Television, and Matjaž Drevenšek, a professor of saxophone at the Ljubljana Music Academy. The Quartet has regularly held concerts on domestic as well as foreign stages, it has also frequently performed on other important concert platforms abroad. Among recent successes, we have to mention a famous tour undertaken in 2007 in the US. Itamar Golan, who has built an enviable music career, studied in Israel and in the US. He has become famous around the world by giving performances at concerts together with renowned musicians such as Shlomo Mintz, Maxim Vengerov, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra musicians with Zubin Mehta and many others. Setting the tone of the new music season will be a song written by Slovene composer Milko Lazar, especially for the Quartet, which will have its premiere at the end of the concert.     

(Anticipated) Programme:
W. A. Mozart / S. Nestorović: Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon in E flat major, KV 452
P. Merkù: Quarteto per saxofoni
D. Šostakovič / D. Sremec: Quintet for piano g-minor, op. 57