Evening was fast approaching in the Slovenian town of Piran when the chimes of the Chiesa di San Giorgio reminded me that the piano concerto was about to begin. As the sun slanted across the Adriatic, I hurried toward the vast Tartini Square — named for Giuseppe Tartini, the Baroque-era Italian violinist and composer — past outdoor cafes, where boisterous groups of Slovenians were devouring Balkan sausages and toasting one another — "Na zdravje!" ("To your health!") — with local Lasko beer.