Martinů Festtage 2025 in Basel

19 October to 2 November 2025
Artistic director: Robert Kolinsky

This Sunday in Basel marks the start of the 30th anniversary edition of the traditional Martinů Festtage festival, which since 1995 has been presenting the extensive work of Bohuslav Martinů performed by Swiss and internationally renowned artists.

The festival was supported by the honorary patronage of the president of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, the secretary general of the Council of Europe Alain Berset and the conductor Jakub Hrůša.

Detailed information can be found on the festival website here: https://martinu.ch/programm-2025/

Festival program

Jazz | Luca Sestak Trio
Sunday 19 October 2025, 7.00 pm

Virtuoso, humorous, and full of surprises: pianist Luca Sestak and his trio transform classical works into rousing jazz stories. Between baroque and boogie, Martinů and C.P.E. Bach, an evening emerges that breaks boundaries – with style and enthusiasm.

More information can be read here.

Chamber Music | Stefan Dohr & Friends
Wednesday 22 October 2025, 6.30 pm

The Berlin Philharmonic soloist Stefan Dohr will perform in a chamber concert as part of the Martinů Festtage festival, together with exceptional colleagues from the international music scene. Together they will perform works by Martinů, Hindemith, and Gold. 
More informationcan be read here.

Comics | Jens Harder’s Visual Epic of Gilgamesh
Friday October 24 2025, 7.30 pm

The evening will offer a combination of comics, history, and music. Berlin comic artist Jens Harder will provide insight into his work on the Epic of Gilgamesh, from the graphic design to the challenges related to the content.
More information can be read here. 

Family Concert | 12 Lessons for Gilgamesh
Saturday 25 October 2025, 7.00 pm

The production combines music, drama, electronics, projections, and unconventional narrative techniques within the evocative space of the Skulpturhalle at the Antikenmuseum Basel.
More information can be read here. 

Cinema | Life in the Bugatti Step
Tuesday 28 October 2025, 7.00 pm

This documentary by director Anne-Kathrin Peitz charts the musical avant-garde in Czechoslovakia during the interwar period. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Anne-Kathrin Peitz and Jean-Christophe Nigon.
More information can be read here.

Lecture | Mesopotamia. "In the Land of Gilgamesh"
Thursday 30 October 2025, 6.15 pm

This lecture will present the rich ancient heritage of Iraq from various perspectives, its current state, and ongoing initiatives aimed at its restoration. Lecturer: Rita Gautschy, Professor of Ancient Studies at the University of Basel.
More information can be read here.

Closing Concert | The Epic of Gilgamesh
Sunday 2 November 2025, 5.00 pm

The festival will conclude with Martinů's Epic of Gilgamesh, Dvořák, Mozart, and Pals.
More information can be read here.