29TH VARAZDIN BAROQUE EVENINGS OPEN

VARAZDIN, Sept 20 (Hina) - The 29th Varazdin Baroque Evenings opened in the northern Croatian town of Varazdin on Monday with Bach's "John's Passion", performed by the Slovene Philharmonic and the Slovene Consortium Musicum chamber choir, under the direction of maestro Milan Horvat.#L# The traditional musical manifestation, which closes on October 3, will feature some 20 concerts by domestic and foreign artists. The annual manifestation has become the trademark of Varazdin, which has great prospects to be included on UNESCO's world heritage list, Croatian Deputy Premier Ljerka Mintas-Hodak said at the opening. Mintas-Hodak, attending as the envoy of permanent patron Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, presented maestro Horvat with a Croatian Wickerwork Order decoration, bestowed upon him by President Tudjman for contributions to Croatian culture, music in particular, and for the promotion of Croatian music around the world, especially during the 1991-1995 Homeland War. (hina) ha jn