Mozart's beautiful clarinet quintet with internationally acclaimed Slovenian clarinetist Darko Brlek and young, energetic members of Maxwell String Quartet and Lana Trotovsek (violin). The concert will also feature the composer's flute quartets with flautist Boris Bizjak.
Hailed as “one of the front-runners” in young UK ensembles (Classical Music Magazine, 2013) the Maxwell Quartet are rapidly emerging as a dynamic and exciting force in the chamber music world, with an unparalleled drive and commitment to expanding the string quartet repertoire.As well as being regular guests at Perth Concert Hall, they have appeared at many festivals including the Plug Contemporary Music Festival, the Cottier Chamber Project, Lammermuir Festival, Loch Shiel Spring Festival, Celtic Connections, Sound Festival, BBC Chamber Music Proms and more. The quartet has collaborated with the likes of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, cellist David Watkin, cellist Philip Higham, and accordionist Paul Chamberlain.In 2014 they were selected as Park Lane Group Young Artists, and Tunnell Trust Music Coll 2014 artists. In 2014-2015 they give a concert series of late Schubert Quartets at Perth Concert Hall in Scotland, and feature as artists in residence at the Loch Shiel Spring Festival in May 2015.
Darko Brlek graduated from the Ljubljana Academy of Music under Mihael Gunzek, and University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. He is the winner of the Prešern Award, the Betteto Award and the Župancic Award. Darko Brlek performs extensively in recitals and with orchestras, and also as a member of the Luwigana Trio. He has appeared in Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Turkey, Russia, Egypt, the USA, Mexico and Japan, working with the musicians such as Yuri Bashmet, Hartmut Haenchen, Jan Stulen, Nanse Gum, Emil Tabakov, Ovidiu Balain, Philippe Bender, Laurent Petitgard, Pierre Amoyal, Uto Ughi and the members of the string quartets Bartók and Debussy. Darko Brlek has recorded extensively for radio, TV and record labels. From 1990 to 1992 he was the Ljubljana Opera Director, from 1992 Artistic Director and from 1995 Director of the Ljubljana Festival. From 2005 he has been President of the European Association of Festivals (the Association has more than a hundred distinguished members and its head office is located in Brussels). He is a member of the International Society of Performing Arts (ISPA) whose head office is in New York, President of the Artistic Council of the Slovene National Theatre of Maribor, and a member of the Broadcasting Council of the Slovenian Radio.
Boris Bizjak is a 1st prizewinner of the International Flute Competition in Picardie, France. Three times 1st prizewinner of the Slovenian National Flute Competition and twice prizewinner of the Slovenian National Chamber Music Competition. London-based Slovenian flautist graduated from the ENMP 'Alfred Cortot' in Paris, where he obtained the /Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste' guided by renowned French flautist Pierre Yves Artaud. His teachers were also George Alirol, Fedja Rupel, Marzio Conti and Jasenka Jelacic.
Slovenian-born, London-based violinist Lana Trotovsek, described as "radiant" by Washington Post was a student of Ruggiero Ricci. In September 2014 she appeared in two concerts with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists performing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and made her debut with Valery Gergiev and Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in 2012 with Prokofiev Concerto No.1.
Trotovsek has performed in the Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw Frits Phillips in Eindhoven and elsewhere in Europe, China, UAE and USA.Her performances in 2015/16 include a recital in the Wigmore Hall, Tchaikovsky concerto with RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and conductor George Pehlivanian, Tchaikovsky concerto with Sarajevo Philharmonic and conductor Uros Lajovic, Brahms concerto with Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Michigan in USA, Beethoven concerto with Zagreb Philharmonic in Lisinski Hall with conductor Hans Graf and Mendelssohn concerto with Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and Dirk Brosse in USA, performance of a violin concerto by Oscar winning composer Tan Dun under his baton with Orchestra Teatro Verdi, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. Trotovsek has already performed with a number of orchestras including the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Moscow Soloists, Slovenian Philharmonic, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, RTS Symphony Orchestra Belgrade, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Concert Verein Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic among others.