Nova Gorica through the eyes of the pianist Alexander Gadjiev

A town of youthful energy

"I see Nova Gorica as a modern town that may have been built for political reasons, but then evolved, searched for and ultimately found its identity precisely in the fact that it is not merely an avant-garde town, but one that seeks its meaning in a new approach to life and art," he reflects during a brief stop at the Bookshop – Café MAKS, a popular meeting place and haven for locals who cherish good conversation and good books (with good coffee). "It's a town on the border, a town by the border, and precisely for that reason it can draw so much more from its surroundings and then shapes itself in its own way. It's a town of youthful energy."

Perhaps that's also why it is such a "scholarly" town, home to a university and numerous secondary schools. It is not only closely intertwined with "old" Gorizia, as locals call it, but also draws its wisdom from the surrounding places and villages with a much longer history.  Alexander describes the combination of both youth and history as "a source of energy for the town". What does it even mean to build a town, he wonders, pointing to the classical European cities built over millennia. "This is something that's hard to imagine in Europe, it's true; after the war, many towns were rebuilt and restored... But to imagine and create a town entirely anew, from scratch? That's truly something special."

In a way, Nova Gorica is a utopian town, yet the other side of its character is full of energy and goodwill. In its search for identity, Alexander says, it can also allow itself things that a town with a long history and tradition perhaps cannot.

By this he refers to the project and title of the European Capital of Culture, held by both towns in 2025, with the Slovenian Nova Gorica as the lead town and neighbouring Italian Gorizia as its twin town.  A project, movement, platform and transformation that carried the image of both towns, their creativity and entirely fresh content into Europe and the wider world.

Concerts in symbolic locations: borderless, heavenly, otherworldly

Among the highlights of the GO!2025 programme were Alexander Gadjiev's performances.  The first, on the newly renovated Europe Square, at the symbolic crossroads between Gorizia and Nova Gorica and between two countries that feel so close and familiar to him, enchanted guests who filled the square to capacity. With projections on the railway station building, the square was transformed into a truly unique concert setting.

This was followed by a performance above the town, on the mountain, in a sanctuary. Sveta Gora has been a special place for Alexander since childhood. "I used to go to Sveta Gora as a kid, as a young boy, with my grandparents," he recalls. "I've always had, how should I put it, an affinity for this place – as a spiritual, peaceful and at the same time beautiful place." The idea of performing there one day had been in his mind for a long time. "I'm so happy that this was realised in the form of a concert, and given the response from the audience, I believe this will not be the last such concert. I'd like to continue the connection I've now built with Sveta Gora."

And if he could perform anywhere in Slovenia, where would it be? "The venue at Cerje, where Silence and MN Dance Company have performed – a truly beautiful location," he says, recalling another of the highlights of the GO!2025 programme. "If I could give a concert there, it would truly be borderless, heavenly, otherworldly."

A sense of home in Slovenian towns

Gadjiev often returns to Gorizia and Nova Gorica from his many engagements around the world. And from Berlin, which is now his home. He has noticed that cities, especially capitals, are becoming increasingly similar.  "If you are in Paris, London, New York, Tokyo… there are differences, but the atmosphere of these cities is very similar." 

He attributes this to globalisation. On the other hand, during his professional travels, he often encounters enthusiastic comments about how beautiful Slovenia is. "I think what attracts them so much is the sense that there is still something indigenous here, something authentic," he reflects. "A sense of tradition and home, whether in family recipes, restaurants and inns, or hotels, that sense of home that people are now searching for so intensely."

He believes that the world has become more interconnected and that consequently people feel the same everywhere, yet nowhere truly at home. "And that sense of home is what Slovenian towns can offer. Anyone who comes to Slovenia can feel at ease, can feel good. Like a human being, not merely an object. And that's something of immense value."

Slovenia. Creative. My way.

The face of culture is a reflection of human creativity. There are cities, places and spaces in Slovenia that are tailored to people. This is why we feel good everywhere.