Martinů Festtage 2026 in Basel

25 October to 8 November 2026
Artistic director: Robert Kolinsky

This Saturday in Basel marks the start of the 31th 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/

Festival program

Madrigals | SWR Vokalensemble & Capella Helvetica
Sunday 25 October 2026 6.00 pm

The festival’s opening concert brings together three madrigal cycles by Bohuslav Martinů with works by English Renaissance masters and Johannes Brahms, performed by the SWR Vokalensemble and Capella Helvetica.
More information can be read here.

Film | Kaprálová
Wednesday 28 October 2026 6.00 pm

Stadtkino Basel will screen the Czech documentary Kaprálová, which explores the composer’s final years in Paris and her relationship with Bohuslav Martinů. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s makers.
More information can be read here.

Jazz | Enrico Pieranunzi Trio
Saturday 31 October 2026 7.00 pm

The Enrico Pieranunzi Trio combines selections from Bohuslav Martinů’s piano cycle Film en miniature with film melodies by Ennio Morricone and the art of jazz improvisation at the Martinů Festtage.
More information can be read here.

Ensemble Opera Diversa | Boža in the Kingdom of Puppets
Wednesday 4 November 2026 6.15 pm

The festival will present a family puppet opera inspired by the piano cycle Puppets. The opera was created with an original libretto by director Kateřina Křivánková and music by Markéta Brothánková.
More information can be read here. 

Chamber concert | Pražák Quartet & Amihai Grosz
Sunday 8 November 2026 6.00 pm

The closing concert of the Martinů Festtage features Mozart’s String Quintet in G minor, Morricone’s Vivo, and two chamber works by Bohuslav Martinů, performed by the Pražák Quartet and violist Amihai Grosz.
More information can be read here.