Description
“Art is meant to expand the realm of human independence and freedom.”
Vladimír Godár
The CD is a compilation spanning more than twenty years of collaboration between the Konvergencie Festival and Vladimír Godár and released to mark the composer’s anniversary.
My first encounter with Vlado Godár’s music took place back in the late 1980s. It completely captivated me during my college years, and even then I sensed that I wanted to play it more often. I subsequently met Vlado, and our collaboration resulted in several albums (Chamber Music, Music for Cello, Dariačangin sad) and many concert programs featuring not only his compositions but also works I discovered thanks to him. Together with Vlado, Peter Biely, Ivana Pristašová, and Peter Šesták, we once founded the Albrecht Quartet, right at the legendary Hans Albrecht’s home in the Albrecht House. My personal connection to Vlado’s music developed gradually, most significantly when he composed *O Crux*—a meditation for solo cello, which he dedicated to me. I premiered the work, recorded it several times, and performed it countless times in concerts from the U.S. through London to New Zealand. After Bach’s suites, it is the most frequently performed piece at my solo recitals. I’m still drawn to Vlado’s early works, and I believe their expressive power is timeless. The audience’s reactions to his Sonata in Memory of Viktor Shklovsky were often so emotional that it took me by surprise. His music has also won admirers among foreign performers, including my friend Robert Cohen, musicians from the Hilliard Ensemble and Ensemble Corund, whom you can hear on this CD. I admire Vlado not only as a composer but also as the author of important writings on music and society. At Konvergencie, we are preparing our third concert in honor of his anniversary, this time to mark his 70th birthday. How could it be otherwise? After all, he is the most frequently performed Slovak composer at Konvergencie, as well as at my own concerts. I am delighted and grateful that he himself came up with the idea to release the works performed at the festival. You are holding a recording that charts two decades of our collaboration, and I believe this “time capsule” will speak to you just as it has spoken to me. I am very pleased that Vlado is still composing and has something to say through his music.
Jozef Lupták
Tracklist
Vladimír GODÁR (1956)
01 Variations on a Slovak Folk Song for two cellos (2006)
Robert Cohen UK, cello
Jozef Lupták, cello
Primate’s Palace, Bratislava, 12. 9. 2021
02 Dormi Jesu for mixed choir, cello and harp (2008)
Ensemble Corund CH / Stephen Smith, conductor
Jozef Lupták, cello
Michal Matejčík, harp
St. Martin’s Cathedral, Bratislava, 15. 9. 2013
03 Sweet and Low for mixed choir and strings (2009)
lyrics: A. Tennyson
Ensemble Corund CH / Stephen Smith, conductor
Igor Karško, Milan Paľa, violin
Jozef Lupták, cello
Peter Jurčenko, double bass
St. Martin’s Cathedral, Bratislava, 15. 9. 2013
04 Passacaglia for solo cello (2006/rev. 2008)
Jozef Lupták, cello
Moyzes Hall, Bratislava, 24. 3. 2025
05 Autumn Meditation for string quartet (1979)
Igor Karško, Jana Karšková, violin
Simon Tandree uk , viola
Jozef Lupták, cello
Design Factory, Bratislava, 17. 9. 2006
06 A Lullaby with Mr. Mozart for soprano and piano trio (1985/2005)
lyrics: Jan Skácel
Eva Šušková, soprano
Peter Hamar, violin
Jozef Lupták, cello
Vladimír Godár, piano
Klarisky Concert Hall, Bratislava, 19. 9. 2009
07 Déploration sur la mort de Witold Lutosławski (1993)
Igor Karško, Jana Karšková, violin
Simon Tandree uk , viola
Jozef Lupták, cello
Nora Skuta, piano
Design Factory, Bratislava, 17. 9. 2006
8 Bikít Gilgamesh Lament for bass and cello (1998)
Peter Mikuláš, bass
Jozef Lupták, cello
Klarisky Concert Hall, Bratislava, 12. 9. 2024
09 Ricercar for piano quartet (1977/rev. 1996)
Ivana Pristašová, violin
Simon Tandree UK, viola
Jozef Lupták, cello
Nora Skuta, piano
Klarisky Concert Hall, Bratislava, 15. 9. 2005
10 Pieta for cello (2025)
Jozef Lupták, cello
Moyzes Hall, Bratislava, 24. 3. 2025
The album includes: a CD and a comprehensive booklet featuring texts by V. Godár’s longtime colleagues and friends—Jozef Lupták, Peter Breiner, Peter Zagar, and Andrew Parrott—as well as a code to download the music in digital format
Publisher: Konvergencie – Society for Chamber Music, o.z. 2026
SOZA – BIEM: 1749-017-1
EAN: 8588006338164
Live recordings from concerts at the Konvergencie International Chamber Music Festival 2005–2025 in Bratislava / recorded live at the Konvergencie Chamber Music Festival in Bratislava 2005–2025
mix & mastering: Igor Baar / Jozef Lupták
sleeve notes: Vladimír Godár / Peter Breiner / Peter Zagar / Andrew Parrott / Jozef Lupták
booklet editors: Andrej Šuba / Mária Boháčová
proofreading: Mária Boháčová / Mária Hejtmánková
translations: John Minahane / Andrej Šuba
photos: Jarmila Uhlíková / Daniela Meressa Rusnoková
design & layout: Zuzana Číčelová
production manager: Lea Majerčáková / Konvergencie
executive producer: Jozef Lupták
special thanks to Katarína Godárová
℗ © Konvergencie 2026
