Japan will be the partner country of the 48th Varazdin Baroque Evenings which will take place in the northern Croatian city of Varazdin from September 21 to October 3, said the festival director Davor Bobic at a news conference on Thursday.

Some of Japan’s best ensembles and musicians will be at this year’s event, Bobic said.

The Varazdin Baroque Evenings, early classical music festival founded in 1971, is one of the most reputable events of this kind in the world, and the most important music event in central Croatia. It was recognised as an event of national importance by the Culture Ministry 20 years ago.

The festival will open this year with a concert by the Croatian Baroque Ensemble, members of the Orchestra Libera Classica, the La Fonteverde vocal ensemble, and the Chorus Angelicus choir, who will perform works by Baroque composers Telemann and Vivaldi with an internationally acclaimed Japanese classical musician Hidemi Suzuki as the conductor.

Japan’s Ambassador to Croatia Keiji Takiguchi said he was happy that Japan would be the partner country of this year’s Baroque Evenings on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations.

Concerts will be staged at Varazdin’s Croatian National Theatre and the town’s Franciscan church, as well as the famous 13th century Castle Trakoscan.

Apart from musicians from Japan, artists from Austria, Germany, Italy, and Israel will perform at the festival.

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