The historic Sermage Palace in Varaždin hosted a unique cultural event on 29 November as the chamber ensemble Sve ostalo je glazba presented its acclaimed heritage interpretation project The Other Side of History. The performance — featuring soprano Marija Lešaja, clarinettist Sebastijan Sarapa and pianist and project creator Ivana Jelača — is the result of a collaboration between the Varaždin Concert Office, the Varaždin Baroque Evenings Festival and cultural institutions from both Dubrovnik and Varaždin.

After its premiere in Dubrovnik’s Rector’s Palace in October, the project drew prominent guests in Varaždin, including Dr. Marija Šiša-Vivek, Director of the Dubrovnik Museums, and Miran Bojanić Morandini, Director of the Varaždin City Museum. Speakers highlighted the exceptional value of historical instruments held by Croatian museums — among them the rare 1790 fortepiano by Viennese maker Anton Walter from the Dubrovnik Museums collection.

Šiša-Vivek emphasised the project's importance in bridging Croatia’s northern and southern cultural traditions, noting that the blend of museum heritage and historically informed performance strengthens national and European cooperation in early music. She credited artistic director Ivana Jelača for expanding the network of institutions dedicated to this specialised field.

Throughout the evening, Jelača guided the audience through a programme inspired by extensive archival research, performing on an 1810 Rosenberger piano from the Varaždin City Museum. The concert featured works by composers spanning two centuries of European musical life, including Haydn, Mozart, Vanhal, Schubert, Sorkočević and Murat.

With refined performances and engaging storytelling that linked Dubrovnik and Varaždin to the great cultural centres of the 18th and 19th centuries, the event recreated the intimate atmosphere of historical salons — and was met with prolonged applause from the gathered audience.