G.P.

The Lovro von Matacic competition in Zagreb, Croatia, started today. I got a big number in the initial drawing so I did not conduct today. Also the participants are not allowed to see others conduct before they are done, so I don't have much to tell about the orchestra either.

Maestros Yannick and Hikaru at our lunch restaurant "Radnic"

All the arrangements seem perfect, though. We are in a good hotel, all the meals are paid by the competition, everyone is concerned about us feeling like home... And the competitors seem to be a really nice bunch of people too!

At the opening ceremony: Jimmy, Jin and Robert

Filip, Sylvain, Yannick, Hikaru, Ayyub and Zhiva

A big factor in making the atmosphere here so relaxed is the fact, that everyone of us is allowed to stay here until the end of the competition. In most competitions when you go out, you go out, literally. Only in here and in the Vakhtang Jordania competition last summer I noticed such a collegial and nice atmosphere, due to the very fact that the participants are respected and they are well taken care of!

Mirko, Ludovic and Jimmy relaxing in the lobby of our four-star hotel "International"

As usual, I have taken a lot of photos, but seems the connections here are so slow that it is useless to put them on the net right now. So please come back next week and you can actually see what happened...

The chairman of the jury, maestro Klobucar, madame ...hmm, forgot her name Metoda Lhotka, maestro Benic, the president of the Matacic Foundation. On the background maestro Muratovski