Video: Looking back at the Convergence 2025 festival

This year, the Convergence International Chamber Music Festival prepared a rich program dedicated specifically to the work of Bohuslav Martinů. It thus continued the tradition of presenting the music of important 20th-century classics such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, and Leoš Janáček, whose works were performed in previous years.

The festival took place in Bratislava from October 14 to 21, 2025. In addition to five chamber concerts, the program also included an exhibition of the composer's drawings, a lecture by Aleš Březina, a film screening, and a puppet opera for children. 

Slovak Television and Radio broadcast a nearly half-hour report from the festival, which can be viewed here: https://www.stvr.sk/televizia/archiv/21893/563859#2

A representative selection from Bohuslav Martinů's extensive chamber music oeuvre included, for example, the complete sonatas and variations for cello performed by Czech cellists Tomáš Jamník and Jozef Lupták. The string quartets were performed at the festival by the Zemlinsky Quartet.

Renowned Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen returned to Convergence, performing at the closing concert. An interesting dramaturgical feature was the performance of two compositions for unusual instrumentation – Quartet for Clarinet, French Horn, Cello, and Snare Drum and Fantasia for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet, and Piano, which received its Slovak premiere. The soloist in this composition was Lydia Kavina (RU/UK). She is one of the few musicians to have studied the theremin directly with its inventor, Leon Theremin (1896–1993).

Once again, Convergence was a meeting place for the artistry of outstanding Slovak performers. The performers included flutist Ivica Gabrišová, Swiss-based violinist Igor Karško, clarinetists Ronald Šebesta and Branislav Dugovič, violist Martin Ruman, and others.

The festival also featured excerpts from Bohuslav Martinů's choral works – the cantata The Opening of the Springs was performed by the Cansona Neosoliensis women's academic choir conducted by Veronika Veverková. The program also included a popular reading about music with Robert Roth, a lecture by Aleš Březina, director of the Bohuslav Martinů Institute, a screening of Jakub Sommer's docudrama My Life with Bohuslav Martinů, and seminars and master classes led by Tomáš Jamník (CZ), Lydia Kavina (RUS/UK), and Olli Mustonen (FI).

For children, Convergence prepared the Slovak premiere of the puppet opera Boža v říši loutek (Boža in the Kingdom of Puppets) by Markéta Brothánková, performed by the Ensemble Opera Diversa. The libretto was written by Kateřina Křivánková. The festival once again took place at several venues known for their informal and friendly atmosphere, such as the Artforum bookstore, the Design Factory in Jarovice, the Lumière Cinema, the Moyzes Hall, the Church of the Brethren, and the Czech Center.

More information about the festival: https://www.konvergencie.sk/vstupenky_konvergencie/

Report by Michal Húska: https://hudba.zoznam.sk/reportaze/20-10-2025-bratislava-vzdava-hold-tvorbe-bohuslava-martinu-festival-konvergencie-nam-priblizuje-aka-roznoroda-a-nadcasova-je-je/