Zagreb Saxophone Quartet hits La Boca

- November 29 at 20 pm in the Auditorium of Usina del Arte in Buenos Aires City neighbourhood of La Boca (Av. Pedro de Mendoza esquina Caffarena) -

Sponsored by the Republic of Croatia’s Embassy in Argentina, the virtuous and worldwide known Zagreb Saxophone Quartet arrives to Argentina to delight music lovers with a plethora of diverse repertoire going from the Renaissance to the progressive jazz and even Astor Piazzolla's tango mastepieces.

Founded in 1989 by its current members, who are all graduated from the Music Academy of Zagreb University, the virtuosity of its members has led the Zagreb Saxophone Quartet to a successful career which includes numerous presentations at their homeland and international tours to Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the twenty largest US states, including Washington DC and New York City.

Likewise, each member of the quartet has participated as a soloist at festivals in Berlin, Dubrovnik, Munich, Novi Sad, Ohrid, Orsay, Paris, Podgorica, Riga, Split and Zagreb. Also at the WSC in Pesaro, Valencia, Montreal, Minneapolis, and Ljubljana.

Besides the classical repertoire for a saxophone quartet, the ZSQ will also play musical compositions of various styles from the Renaissance to the progressive jazz. Also worth noting is that the quartet has recently premiered over fifty new works of Croatian and Slovenes authors, among others.

Many Croatian and foreign composers have written magnificent pieces of work for the group that has already recorded 15 CDs and won eight "Porin" awards, which established in 1993 and awarded annually since 1994 is the most prestigious music award of Croatia.

The Academy of Music of the University of Zagreb is the oldest and largest musical institution in the European country. Its origins date back to 1829 with Zagreb’s Agramer Music Club when Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After WWII the Academy was officially recognized as an institution of higher education and in 1979 became part of the University of Zagreb. The Academy, which enjoys international prestige, currently has more than 500 students and a faculty of 150 professors. It is also known for organizing two major annual concerts held in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall. In addition, it offers another 300 smaller presentations made throughout the year in other Croatians localities.

DRAGAN SREMEC (soprano saxophone) Graduated saxophone and earned his MA degree in the class of Josip Nochta at the Zagreb Academy of Music. He graduated also conducting in the class of Igor Gjadrov. He received further training under Daniel Deffayet at the CNSM de Paris as a French government grantee and under Dr. Eugene Rousseau at the IU School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana as a Fulbright grantee.

GORAN MERCEP (alto saxophone) Has won a number of important prizes during his studies. Following his degree, he went on to study in Paris with Prof. Claude Delangle, as scholarship holder of the French government. He is professor of chamber music at the Zagreb University Music Academy and artistic director of the Samobor Musical Autumn festival. Since 1989 he is a member of the Zagreb Saxophone Quartet and directs international summer courses in Stari Grad, Dubrovnik, Krško and Nova Gorica.

SAŠA NESTOROVIC (tenor saxophone) Taught classical saxophone at the Music School in Zagreb from 1992 to 1998, as well as jazz improvisation and the principles of improvisation at the Secondary School of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana (Slovenia). He has been active on the German, Croatian and Slovene jazz scene. He leads the Summer School of Jazz on the island of Brac and gives lectures at the Summer School of Saxophone in Dubrovnik. He is now saxophonist, clarinetist and recording musician with the Croatian Radio Television Big Band, as well as composer and arranger with the Zagreb Jazz Portrait quartet.

MATJAŽ DREVENŠEK (baritone saxophone) Professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, has collaborated with eminent musicians and music pedagogues (S. Bichon, V. David, C. Delangle, J.Y. Fourmeau, Ph. Geiss, F. Mancuso, J.D. Michat, N. Prost, Quatuor Diastema (F), A. Bornkamp (NL), M. Weiss, L. Mlekusch (CH), D. Gauthier (D), L. Artymiw, F. Bongiorno, P. Epstein, B. Marsalis, S. Mauk, E. Rousseau, D. Richtmeier, K. Tse (USA), T. Mužek, M. Prohaska, New Sax Quartet (HR), I. Golan (IL), M. Marzi, Quartetto Academia (I), M. Bekavac, I. Grafenauer, M. Lipovšek, Slovenian Brass Quintet, Slowind Quintet, Quartet 4saxess (SLO).

Quartet's official web site: http://www.zagrebsax4.net/

Repertoire:

Joseph Haydn: CUARTETO op. 20 no. 5

-Allegro moderato

-Menuetto

-Adagio

-Finale – Fuga a due Soggetti

Florent Scmitt: CUARTETO op. 102

-Avec une sage décision

-Vif

-Assez lent

-Animé sans excès

Boris Papandopulo: SEIS CROQUIS

-Allegro moderato

-Andante tranquillo

-Allegro vivace

-Andante sostenuto

-Allegro vivace

-Con brio

Astor Piazzolla: HISTOIRE DU TANGO (arr. Claude Voirpy)

-Bordel 1900

-Café 1930

-Night Club 1960

-Concert d'aujourd'hui