Convergence Festival Bratislava

The 2025 Convergence Festival will take place this year from March 13 to 28, 2025, at the Great Evangelical Church and Moyzes Hall in Bratislava.

STORIES

“Music and beauty have meaning, especially in times of uncertainty.”
Jozef Lupták

“Listening to music always involves echoes of our world; it connects with fragments of language, images, memories, and fantasies that place any music in a reality that we were told music stands outside of…”
Lawrence Kramer (Why Classical Music Still Matters)

“A recital by a single musician is a very intimate and powerful connection between music, artist, and audience. However, it wouldn’t be Convergence if surprising connections didn’t emerge at the end of several concerts,” says the artistic director of the Convergence Festival, cellist Jozef Lupták. Convergences will bring eight musical evenings in March 2025, during which twelve unconventional solo recitals will be heard in the Moyzes Hall. The performances will include the virtuoso Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital, nominated for a Grammy Award, Estonian kannel player Anna-Liisa Eller, and exceptional Norwegian artists: jazz double bassist Steinar Raknes and Hardanger fiddle player Nils Økland. The “non-classical” recitals will also include a program by cross-genre guitarist Daniel Salontay from the group Longital.

The excellent Slovak violinist Milan Paľa will debut his own composition at the festival. Premieres of works by Slovak composers and original works will also be part of the concert by accordionist Boris Lenk. As part of the festival evenings, cellist Jozef Lupták will also perform works by V. Godár (including the premiere of a new composition) and J. S. Bach.

The Convergence Festival will culminate with the performance of the complete piano sonatas of Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) performed by the renowned Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen, who captivated the Bratislava audience last year with unconventional interpretations of Mozart’s music. The festival’s special guest will be Prokofiev’s grandson, composer and musician Gabriel Prokofiev, who will present himself in Bratislava as both an author and performer.

The March Convergence will be a mosaic of stories, stories of authors, works or artists who will play them. Stories that can be shared and become a part of them. The current year of the Convergence will open on March 13, 2025 in the Great Evangelical Church in Bratislava with an evening with priest, theologian and philosopher Tomáš Halík and preacher, writer and artist Daniel Pastirčák. Their thoughts will be connected by musical contributions from Pjoni, Jozef Lupták and organist Ján Vladimír Michalek. Former president Zuzana Čaputová will be a special guest at the event.

Program:

March 13, 2025, Great Evangelical Church at 7:00 PM

What’s going on here?

Tomáš HALÍK (CZ), Daniel PASTIRČÁK, lyrics
Jozef LUPTÁK, cello
J. V. MICHALKO, organ
PJONI, electronics

20.3.2025, Moyzesova sieň at 7:00 PM

RAKNES – SALONTAY

Steinar RAKNES (NO), double bass, looper, electronics
songs from albums Stillhouse, Chasing the real things and On the road/music from albums Stillhouse, Chasing the Real Things and On the Road
Daniel SALONTAY, guitars/guitars
Zaobraz, multimedia project inspired by artworks of A. Salontay/multimedia project inspired by artworks of A. Salontay

21.3.2025, Moyzesova sieň at 7:00 PM

ØKLAND – LENKO

Nils ØKLAND (NO), Hardanger violin, viola d’amore/Hardanger fiddle, viola d‘amore
improvisations based on traditional Norwegian music and compositions from the album Monograph/improvisations based on traditional Norwegian music and compositions from the album Monograph
Boris LENKO, accordion, bandoneon, piano/accordion, bandoneon, piano P. Zagar, M. Železňák, M. Piaček, B. Lenko (premieres/premieres)

22.3.2025, Moyzesova sieň at 7:00 p.m.

PAĽA – ELLER

Milan PAĽA, violin
M. PaĽa: Objects (Amfisbain-Symphony for violin solo) / Objects (Amfisbain-Symphony for violin solo)
Anna-Liisa ELLER (EE), kannel
W. Byrd, J. H. Kapsberger, J. Dowland, H. Tulve, G. Frescobaldi, D. Kellner, J. S. Bach, G. Z. Romano, T. Hume, A. Mudarra, J.-Ph. Rameau

23.3.2025, Moyzesova sieň at 19:00

AVITAL – LUPTÁK

Avi AVITAL (IL), mandolin/mandolin
J. S. Bach, E. Bloch, G. Sollima
Jozef LUPTÁK, violoncello/cello
J. S. Bach, V. Godár

26.3.2025, Moyzesova sieň at 19:00

PROKOFIEV – MUSTONEN

Gabriel PROKOFIEV (UK), electronics
Olli MUSTONEN (FI), piano
S. Prokofiev, G. Prokofiev

27.3.2025 – 28.3.2025 , Moyzesova sieň at 19:00

SERGEY PROKOFIEV: COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS

Olli MUSTONEN (FI), piano
S. Prokofiev: piano sonatas no. 1 – 9

27.3.2025

Sonata No. 4 in C minor, op. 29
Sonata No. 2 in D minor, op. 14
Sonata No. 9 in C major, op. 103
Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82

28.3.2025

Sonata No. 5 in C major, Op. 38
Sonata No. 8 in B major, Op. 84
Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 1
Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28
Sonata No. 7 in B major, Op. 83

Program and performers subject to change.
More information about the festival at konvergencie.sk

Location: Bratislava
Date: 13.03.2025 – 28.03.2025

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