Demetrij Žebre

Slovene composer and conductor Demetrij Žebre was introduced to music by his father, a music-loving lawyer. Although he attended a music school as a pupil, Žebre enrolled at the law faculty. However, he actually studied at the Conservatory in Ljubljana and later in Praha (until 1936). In Praha, his teacher in composition was Josef Suk. Žebre then worked as a conductor at the Ljubljana Opera. After World War II he moved to Trieste and became a leading figure there as head of the local orchestra and supervisor of the music school. In 1948, he returned to Ljubljana, taking over the direction of the opera and later counselling Radio Sje. During his spell as conductor of the Croatian Opera in Zagreb (1952-58) he established himself as a leading conductor in Yugoslavia. Back in Slovenia, he became conductor and director at the Ljubljana Opera. He was married to opera singer Xenia Vidali since 1960. Žebre authored piano and chamber music, and also wrote symphonies. His style was influenced by the early avant-garde but was never extreme. He gradually abandoned contacts to radical developments in Western Europe. With time, his music was almost forgotten but experienced a revival beginning in the 1970s.

Žebre’s 1936 entry is listed under the French title Cours in the catalogue of the art competitions. The original Slovenian title is Tek (The run). The 1935 composition is subtitled a “symphonic picture for full orchestra”. The approximately 11-minute long work was released on CD on a Slovenian label in 2018.