Jani Golob (born 18 January 1948) is a Slovenian composer, violinist, arranger and professor.
His music opus is often on the thin line of classic, pop and jazz. Golob has composed operas, ballets, orchestral works, chamber and vocal music, as well as numerous Slovenian film scores,Internet Movie Database: Jani Golob and music for television and for advertising purposes. His most important works are probably three operas: Krpan's mare (1992), Medeja (1999) and Love Capital (2010); and others as Four Slovene Folk Songs (1979 and 2005), Concerto for violin and orchestra (1998) and ballet The Baptism at the Savica (1989). He is most recognized by his contribution in Slovenian popular music.
His internationally best-known piece of work is the unofficially named "Planica Slow Motion Theme" (1997), an instrumental piece of music played in slow motion replays annually on worldwide broadcasting of FIS Ski Jumping/Flying World Cup events from Planica, Slovenia. Especially because of this melody Golob became famous worldwide. Each year since 1997 this piece of music is played in Planica slow motion replays live to millions of people worldwide.
Other hit songs are "Prisluhni školjki/A Song In a Seashell" (1985), "Moja dežela/My Country" (1986) and "Pustite nam ta svet/Leave Us This World" (1987), popular especially in Slovenia. In 1971 he also arranged music for the song Sejem želja/Scarborough Fair with Slovenian lyrics of this original English folk ballad. He is the arranger of the most common used orchestrated version of the Slovenian national anthem "Zdravljica", used in protocol, sports and other big events.
In 1973 he acted in a film called Ljubezen na odoru (Love on the Furrows).
Golob has the ability of absolute pitch. When he was younger he would write music in notes just by listening and memorizing it.
He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Career In the 1960s he founded Slovene pop band Delial, in which he played bass guitar. He studied violin with graduate education in 1971 and with musical composition in 1977 at the Ljubljana Academy of Music. At first he was mainly an arranger and later started writing his own compositions. From 1998 to 2000 he was professor of music composition and theory at the Academy for Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana (AGRFT).Society of Slovene Composers: Jani Golob From then on he has been a professor of musical composition at the Ljubljana Academy of Music. Between 2002 and 2006 he was the president of Society of Slovene Composers.
Golob's compositions are performed by the most important Slovene ensembles and orchestras and also different important European artists, such as Slovak State Philharmonic Košice and Berlin Symphony Orchestra, with their conductors George Pehlivanian, En Shao, David de Villiers, and Carl Davis.
He was a member of many international music juries at various European festivals: Selector for music for the European Month of Culture EMK (1997) Representative of RTV Slovenia at the EBU work group for music (Eurovision, 1992-1998) Representative of RTV Slovenia at the International Music Centre in Vienna (1992-1998) Member of the international jury at Festival Prix Italia in Turin (1994) Member of the international jury at Festival Golden Prague in Prague (1996) Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in Salzburg (since 1992)
His son Rok Golob is also a Slovene composer.
Awards and prizes He has received many Slovenian and international awards in classic and in popular music:
In 1975, 1976 and 1980 he won the Golden Medal for the best arrangement at the Slovene Song Festival.
In 1977 he won the Prešeren Award of University of Ljubljana for "Concertino for big orchestra" and the Silver Medal at the Slovene Song Festival. In 1978 in Bratislava he won third prize in the Grand Prix de Musique Folklorique de Radio Bratislava for "Sv. Sintilawdič". In 1980 he won the Second and third prize of the Expert Jury at the Slovene Song Festival. In 1983 he won the Župančič Prize for "Four Slovene Folk Songs for stings". In 1986 and 1988 he won the Metod Badjura Recognition Award. In 1987 in Cannes he won the collective prize at the Prix National at the 34ème Festival du Film Publicitaire Cinema & Television Cannes for "The Guests are Coming", part of the project "Slovenia, My Country", and won the first prize for it at the festival of tourism short films in Berlin. In 2000 he won the Prešeren Fund Prize for "Violin Concerto". In 2012 he won the Kozina Award for lifetime achievements in music from the Society of Slovene Composers.
Selected works
Orchestral music Year Original title English title Title continues1977 Concertino Concertino for big orchestra Nokturno Nocturne for string orchestra 1978 Sveti Sintilawdič Sveti Sintilawdič for chamber orchestra 1979 Komorna glasba Chamber Music for orchestra Štiri ljudske pesmi Four Folk Songs for string orchestra1980 Uvertura Overture for symphony orchestra Elegija Elegy for flugelhorn and string orchestra 1982 Koncertantna glasba Concertante Music for woodwind quintet and orchestra 1984 Svatbeni ples Wedding Dance for two clarinets and string orchestra 1985 Mi za mir We for Peace for chamber orchestra (40th anniversary of UN) 1988 Rezijski ples Rezian Dance for two Rezian fiddlers and string orchestra 1990 Slovenska rapsodija Slovenian Rhapsody for orchestra 1992 Koncert Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra 1993 Hommage Rahmaninovu Hommage Rahmaninovu for symphony orchestra 1995 Variacije Variations for violin, piano and orchestra 1996 Introdukcija Introduction for alt saxophone and string orchestra Introdukcija Introduction for alt saxophone and saxophone orchestra1998 Koncert Concerto for violin and orchestra Concertino Concertino za flute and string orchestra1999 Romanca in humoreska Romance and Humoresque for violin and string orchestra Upanje Hope for symphony orchestra Fanfare Fanfares for wind orchestra2000 Concerto grosso Concerto grosso for chamber quartet and wind orchestra Nostalgija Nostalgia for two violas and string orchestra Passacaglia Passacaglia za violino, violo, violončelo in orkester 2000 Koncert Concertino for cello and string orchestra 2001 Koncert Concertino for cello and string orchestra2004 Allegro festivo Allegro festivo for wind orchestra Tri epizode Three Episodes for horn and orchestra2005 The Night Shift The Night Shift for brass quintet and wind orchestra Štiri slovenske ljudske pesmi Four Slovene Folk Songs for symphony orchestra Štiri prekmurske ljudske pesmi Four Prekmurje Folk Songs za tenor, violino in orkester2006 Tempered Tempered for chamber ensemble and string orchestra Zlatorog Zlatorog ballet suite 2007 Missa in Do Missa in Do for soloists, mixed choir, organ and orchestra - Vöra bije, sunce mi zahaja My Time Has Come, My Sun Has Gone for chamber orchestra - Cool Voices Cool Voices for string orchestra
Vocal Year Original title English title Title continues 1981 Stara Ljubljana Old Ljubljana cantata for youth choir, recitator and chamber orchestra 1984 Zreilo je žito Wheat Has Ripened for alto, ocarina, hammered dulcimer, percussion and string orchestra Ne ouri ne sejaj Ne ouri ne sejaj for alto and string orchestra 1986 Neznani materi To the Unknown Mother for baritone and string orchestra 1988 Tisti čas That Time Song Cycle for alto and string orchestra 1989 Lovec na ljudi Man Hunter for alto and string orchestra 1995 Quo vadis, Domine Quo vadis, Domine for tenor, mixed choir organ orchestra 2005 Vaje v slogu Exercises in Style variations on Slovenian folk song for mixed choir and chamber orchestra
Choral Year Original title English title Title continues 1979 Mesto The City for mixed chorus 1980 Kata, Katalena Kata, Katalena for 12 voices 1988 Mesto The City for male chorus
Opera and ballet Year Original title English title Note 1985 Urška in povodni mož Ursula and the Water Sprite ballet in 6 scenes 1989 Krst pri Savici The Baptism at the Savica ballet 1992 Krpanova kobila Krpan's Mare opera buffa in 3 acts 1994 Matiček se ženi Matiček's Wedding ballet in 3 scenes 1999 Medeja Medeja opera 2004 Ivana Ivana dance puppet show for adults 2010 Ljubezen kapital Love Capital opera in 3 acts
Chamber music Year Original title English title Title continues1977 Poema Poema for woodwind quintet Andante Andante for string quartet Romanca Romance for viola and piano1978 Komorna glasba Chamber Music for 11 instruments Balada Ballad for trumpet (or flugelhorn) and piano1979 Capriccio Capriccio for soprano saxophone, double bass and percussion Glasba Music for bassoon and piano Skica Sketch for flute and piano 1980 Passacaglia Passacaglia for piano quartet 1981 Groteska Grotesque for clarinet and piano Dialog Dialogue for violin and guitar Capriccio Capriccio for trumpet and piano1982 Tri skladbe Three Pieces for violin and piano Igre Games for recorder, violin and cello Glasba Music for oboe (or English horn) and harp1983 Dve skladbi Two Pieces for cello and piano Tri skladbe Three Pieces for horn and piano Melodija Melody for cello and piano Glasba Music for flute and piano Glasba Music for accordion and cello1984 Trio 84' Trio 84' for violin, viola and cello Dialog Dialogue for flute and viola Iz dnevnika padlega partizana Iz dnevnika padlega partizana for bass, violin, viola, cello and piano Tri pesmi Three songs for bass, cello and piano1985 Dialogi Dialogues for two violins Sonatina Sonatina for violin and piano Sonata št. 1 Sonata No.1 for violin and piano1986 Sonata št. 2 Sonata No.2 for violin and piano Gozd Forest for horn and organ Uvodna glasba Introduction Music for 4 horns Tri pesmi Three Songs for tenor, violin and piano 1987 Godalni kvartet št. 1 String Quartet No.1 - Godalni kvartet št. 2 String Quartet No.2 - Koral Choral for brass quintet and organ Tri miniature Three Miniatures for double bass and piano Tri pesmi Three Songs for mezzo-soprano, violin and guitar Monolog Monologue for clarinet, percussion and tape 1988 Tri variacije Three Variations for cello and piano 1990 Concertino Concertino for guitar and string quartet Toccata Toccata for two pianos and percussion 1991 The Seventh Avenue Blues The Seventh Avenue Blues for violin and piano Sonata Sonata for cello and piano 1992 Glasba Music for alto saxophone and piano1993 Bagatela Bagatelle for recorder and piano Humoreska Humoresque for clarinet and piano Igre Games for two cellos and organ Tri skladbe Three Pieces for horn, trumpet, trombone and piano Človek zmaguje ali zgodba neke ozdravitve Man Wins or the Story of a Cure for woodwind quintet Dve bagateli Two Bagatelles for two violins, cello and organ 1994 Bagatela Bagatelle for trumpet and organ Balada Ballade for saxophone ensemble Igre Games for violin, guitar and accordion 1995 Godalni kvartet št. 3 String Quartet No.3 - 1999 Glasba Music for flute and piano 2000 Romanca Romance for violin and piano2002 Danubiana Danubiana for seven performers Passacaglia in Toccata Passacaglia in Toccata for string quartet 2003 In blue In blue for alto saxophone, string quartet and double bass 2005 Glasba Music for flute and piano2006 Invokacija Invocation for chamber ensemble TASF (Moderato assai Ritmico) TASF (Moderato assai Ritmico) for brass ensemble 2007 Sence Shadows for chamber orchestra 2008 Koncertantne epizode Koncertantne epizode for violin and chamber orchestra 2008-09 Slovenska fantazija Slovenian Fantasy for flute and piano 2009 Tri bagatele Three Bagatelles for harp and chamber orchestra - Capriccio Capriccio percussion, soprano-saxophone and double bass
Works for solo instruments