In 2014, a bronze bust of Frédéric Chopin was installed at the entrance to the Chopin Passage under Ljubljana’s Congress Square. The statue of the Polish artist was donated to Slovenia by the Polish Republic to commemorate the bicentennial of the composer’s birth. Made by a Polish sculptor and restorer, Adam Roman, the monument was unveiled by the Polish ambassador, Cezary Król, and the Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković.
While never actually physically present on Slovenian soil, the great romantic Frédéric (Fryderyk) Chopin’s creativity had a profound impact on Slovenian composers and pianists. The common link between Chopin and Slovenian music is the composer’s adoption of elements of Donizetti-esque and Bellini-esque bel canto in piano playing. This tendency is also reflected in the musical texture of the Ljubljana-born composer Franc (Francesco) Pollini. Furthermore, Chopin’s sensibility also inspired the prolific and influential composer Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, who wrote Sedem nokturnov (Seven Nocturnes). As a musical form – a short, single-movement character piece written for solo piano, the nocturne was notably developed and cultivated by Chopin, who scored 21 of them.
In memory of the great piano genius, an international contest of young pianists, the Chopin Golden Ring Piano Competition, is held annually in Slovenia.
Maia Juvanc
