The 20th anniversary of Croatia's and Slovenia's independence and the 140th anniversary of the Zagreb Philharmonic were marked at Zagreb's Arena hall on Monday evening with a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk in attendance.
An orchestra of more than 1,100 members, comprising the Zagreb and Slovenian philharmonics, conducted by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, performed Mahler's masterwork before an audience of more than six thousand.
The concert was the culmination of the long standing cooperation between the Zagreb and Slovenian philharmonics, held under the auspices of President Josipovic. It also marked the 310th anniversary of Slovenia's Academia Philharmonicorum and the 100th anniversary of Mahler's death.
Josipovic and Tuerk attended the same concert in Ljubljana on Sunday.
The concert began with the playing of the two countries' national anthems.
Representatives of the Croatian Parliament, including Speaker Luka Bebic, government and Croatia's public and cultural figures were also in attendance.
