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Director Darko Brlek said that the reach of the festival, held between 27 June and 10 September this year, has gone beyond Ljubljana as well Slovenia, which is reflected in the growth of the number of visitors from Austria, Italy and Croatia.

"Despite great concerns at the start of the year in the face of the economic situation in the country, we are very happy with the festival," said Brlek.

The most prestigious Slovenian festival cost EUR 2m this year to secure performances by major acts, such as the popular 2Cellos, the Bejart Ballet, Maria Pages and the St Petersburg's Academic State Ballet Theatre.

The festival marked the 200th anniversary of the births of Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi and highlighted Russian culture with concerts, theatre productions and workshops.

It featured among other things Wagner's famous four-opera cycle "The Ring of the Nibelung", performed by the Mariinsky Theatre from St Petersburg under the guidance of Valery Gergiev.

Brlek hailed the Ljubljana municipality's EUR 1m contribution, saying Ljubljana was among the few cities where the budget for culture was not being cut.

He moreover mentioned some of the highlights planned for next year, among them performances by the Vienna State Opera and the Mariinsky Theatre, which will perform the remaining two parts of the "The Ring of the Nibelung".