Foto: Klemen Humar

A Lively Concert of Scottish Folk Tunes in Slovene! Noreia is announcing a new exciting project entitled Kilt Roberta Burnsa (Robert Burns’ Kilt) with two guests: Jani Kovačič and Laura Kranjc. Together they prepared a cheerful concert of Scottish folk tunes written by the most renowned Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) and translated to Slovene by Janez Menart and Jani Kovačič.  These songs still form the standard repertoire of Scots in concert halls and pubs alike. In the first part of the concert they will sing and play some of the characteristic Scottish songs with Burns’ lyrics as well as a few intriguing Scottish tunes and instrumentals. In the second part they will perform the renowned cantata The Jolly Beggars (Love & Liberty).

About the musicians: 

Jani Kovačič has been on the scene for so long that he has become the very definition of the scene itself. Together with Noreia and Laura he will try to recall the Celtic roots and explain what the traditional Scottish dish haggis is like.  

Laura Krajnc (Duo Zajtrk) dabbles in almost all branches of art: literature, fine art, performing and theatre, but she is most at home in music. Her most commonly employed expression tool is her voice, but she does make occasional use of a violin. Along with Noreia and Jani Kovačič she will be discovering stories and playful tales clad in Celtic soundscapes.   

Noreia is a quintet of experienced musicians, who play traditional Irish, Scottish, and Bretton melodies, but not always in a strictly traditional way. Lately they have been actively fusing "Celtic” tradition with their own cultural heritage – the Slovene folk music, which creates a characteristic and unique sound. 

About the authors
Robert Burns (1759-1796) is the most popular Scottish poet. His poems have survived to the present
day and many are still often sung, especially on his birthday, 25 January, which is celebrated as the
Scottish national holiday. On that day, people gather in pubs to drink, sing and recite his poems. For
many people, Burns is still considered "a poet of the pubs”. He lived in the pre-Romantic period
when Scots were forced to bid goodbye to their old way of living and farming. Burns often got
himself in trouble, mainly because of his flirtatious ways and countless affairs, many of which ended
with a child out of the wedlock. Eventually, things got so heated he wanted to escape to Jamaica.
He sold his songs to get the money he needed but, unexpectedly, his poetry collection became a hit
and earned him so much money that he decided to stay in Scotland. His support of the French
Republic got Burns into more trouble with the authorities. He died young, at an age of 37, leaving
behind a few illegitimate children and quite a few poems. Most of them were written to folk tunes
and melodies, which he passionately collected, wrote new arrangements, and resold. Burns’ poetry
is a mixture of the verses of his predecessors, folk song verses and the verses of other poets – that
stable blend of poetic influences that only great poets can write.
Janez Menart (1929-2004) is a Slovenian poet who was considered one of the pillars of Slovenian
poetry since his first collection Pesmi štirih (The Poems of the Four, 1953). His poems were based on
traditional poetic forms and are still read and performed today. As a translator, he is responsible for
giving Slovenes the poems of many English and French poets, including Robert Burns. Menart’s
poems that include translations of Burns’ songs were published in the collection Lirika (Lyrics, 1975).
About the program
In the first part of the concert we will sing and play a few typical Scottish songs with Burns’ lyrics and
several amusing Scottish tunes and instrumental pieces. In the second part, we will perform the
famous cantata Love & Liberty.


Tickets 15€, children untill  14years  10€

Bled Castle: before the concert at the entrance or https://blejski-grad.mojekarte.si/si/celotna-ponudba.html

St. Martin`s Church: Daily from July 1st in the Festival Hall between 10a.m. and 5p.m. or directly at the entrance befor the concert


Development: MMstudio