Convergence Festival Bratislava

The CONVERGENCE Festival is an international festival of chamber music that tells stories. This unique event takes place in Bratislava from 10 to 24 September.

Programme:

1. David Kollar & Arve Henriksen + Škvíry & Spoje

Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 20:00, A4 – space of contemporary culture, Bratislava

Slovak experimental guitarist David Kollar and renowned Norwegian trumpeter and vocalist Arve Henriksen, also known from the band Supersilent, are united by the desire to explore new places on the border between jazz and contemporary avant-garde. Both are prominent figures on the European scene, and their prolific collaboration has resulted in a number of award-winning recordings over the past few years. Ethereal acoustic surfaces with elements of both composition and improvisation, and a delicate blend of electronics, promise an exceptional experience.

The Czech-Slovak quartet Škvíry & Spoje will christen their fresh debut double vinyl during the celebratory concert, chronicling the ten-year history of this remarkable improvisational ensemble. The Škvíry duo consists of Michal Matejka on guitar and Petr Vrba on wind instruments and electronics, Spoje are Jozef Krupa on drums and Dalibor Kocián on vibraphone. The quartet’s style spans a wide range of musical adventures, including free jazz, noise, experimental music, atmospheric moods, extended techniques, poly-rhythmic hypno-grooves and whatever else.

2. Trio Mediæval & Arve Henriksen

Sunday, 17 September 2023 at 20:00, Franciscan Church, Bratislava

Rímur, Trio Mediæval & Arve Henriksen

“…the union of a trio of female voices with a fourth, Arve Henriksen’s trumpet, whose sound seems to flow through the songs on the album, creates a sonic texture that manages to be fragile, yet at the same time has an inner tension and power.”
Nick Lea/Jazz Views

Medieval chants, hymns celebrating Nordic saints, and folk tunes from Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Orkney) in a lucid interpretation by Swedish-Norwegian vocal trio Mediæval and renowned jazz trumpeter and improviser Arve Henriksen. The programme, in which the past meets the present, is named after epic songs that have been orally traditional in Iceland for centuries. Rímur is also the title of the successful album the performers released in 2017 on the iconic ECM label. Trio Mediæval was formed in Oslo in 1997. The trio of singers specialise in medieval repertoire, their album Folk Songs (2007) received a Grammy nomination; the wider public may know the musicians for David Lang’s Just, which appeared on the soundtrack of Paolo Sorrentino’s film Youth. In addition to early music, Trio Mediæval also regularly performs works by contemporary composers.

TRIO MEDIÆVAL

Anna Maria FRIMAN (SE) – vocals, Hardanger violin
Linn Andrea FUGLSETH (NO) – vocals
Jorunn Lovise HUSAN (NO) – vocal
Arve HENRIKSEN (NO) – trumpet, electronics

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3. Building Bridges 2 & Nils Økland Band

Tuesday, 19 September 2023 at 19:00, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava

In fact, it was only a matter of time before it would meet the Convergence Festival. The Norwegian violinist, composer and teacher Nils Økland has a classical background, but he is not afraid to bring different musical worlds together. “I’m not focused on one genre. When I was a kid I used to play folk music with my uncle to dance to, then I got interested in Balkan music and free jazz, then I played in a punk band. So when I started with the Hardanger violin, I tried to use the instrument simply as an instrument, not to learn the tradition faithfully,” he says.

Nils ØKLAND is originally from western Norway and studied violin at the Norwegian National Academy of Music. He received a scholarship to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, and studied baroque music in Amsterdam. He also studied the Hardanger violin on his own. For six years he was music director of the Ole Bull Academy (named after the 19th-century Norwegian violinist-composer) in Voss. He has guest conducted or composed music for several orchestras, including the London Sinfonietta, and has also collaborated with filmmakers and theatre artists.

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BUILDING BRIDGES 2
Nils ØKLAND (NO) – Hardanger violin
Jozef LUPTÁK – cello
Boris LENKO – accordion
Branislav DUGOVIC – clarinet
guests: Åsne Valland NORDLI (NO), Gabriela KOVÁČIKOVÁ – vocal, Robert RAGAN – double bass
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NILS ØKLAND BAND (NO)
Nils ØKLAND – hardanger violin, viola d’amore
Rolf

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Location: Bratislava
Date: 10.09.2023 – 24.09.2023
Entrance fee: 15 – 20 €

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