Description
After more than four years of playing together, the quartet of top Slovak musicians Lupták – Šarišský – Fehér – Török presents an album of songs by Slovak rock legend Marián Varga. The album pays tribute to the original and becomes an original itself, balancing between classical and jazz genres.
“I’ve always liked breaking boundaries, I’ve always admired artistic smuggling – when, say, humor is smuggled into a serious topic or something lowbrow is smuggled into a ‘highbrow’ genre. In my case, it was always about bringing so-called serious music closer to rock music, I always felt incredible tension in that…” said Marián Varga in an interview for Kultúrny život (1992). Varga’s openness to a new, bold, and free creative approach is well known and is also an inspiration and driving force for many musicians. Pianist Vladislav “Slnko” Šarišský, cellist Jozef Lupták, trumpeter Oskar Török and singer Sisa Fehér have been performing his songs for almost five years, and today, at the request of fans, they are reaching another milestone – the album Marián Varga: Songs. With their arrangements and interpretations, they offer a completely new perspective on the songs of Marián Varga, known primarily in the canonical interpretations of Pavol Hammel and the bands Prúdy and Collegium musicum. In line with Varga’s statement, “I like new perspectives on things,” they are shifting it towards a new aesthetic and new content. As members of different generations and musical genres, they understand Marián’s work from the late 1960s and early 1970s in their own way. What remains unchanged, however, is the unmistakable style of Varga’s expression, the essence of beauty and space for joy, freedom, creativity, and virtuosity, which the musicians exploit to the fullest.
“The result is a tribute to the original that itself becomes an original.”
Jana Vargová
“Not everyone can understand the original model and at the same time have the courage and ability to process it in their own way. The quartet of Šarišský, Fehér, Lupták, and Török can.”
Oliver Rehák, Denník N
The recording was made at the end of February 2025 at the Birdland studio in collaboration with sound engineer Miloš Miňo Rojko. Filip Hittrich worked on the mix together with musicians Jozef Lupták and Vladislav Šarišský. The album is a joint project of the Konvergencie festival and the Marián Varga Society. It contains 13 tracks and is released on a visually attractive CD and LP. The album is also being released with the support of fans in a campaign on the Startlab platform.
Tracklist – LP
Side A
- Post (M. Varga – P. Hammel / K. Peteraj, LP Zelená pošta 1972) 06:12
- Bells, ring (M. Varga / R. Skukálek, LP Zvoňte, zvonky 1969) 04:19
- Song from the spinning wheel (M. Varga – F. Frešo – F. Griglák – D. Hájek / K. Peteraj, LP Konvergencie 1971) 04:33
- Help Me (M. Varga / K. Peteraj, LP Divergences 1981) 05:16
Side B
- Maybe (M. Varga / J. Masaryk, LP Ring, Bells 1969) 04:32
- Sad Morning Tram (M. Varga / M. Válek, LP Zelená pošta 1972) 05:49
- By the Way (M. Varga – P. Hammel / K. Peteraj, LP Všetko je inak 1989) 03:57
- Water (M. Varga / K. Peteraj, LP On the Second Program of Dreams 1977) 01:59
- With Hands in Pockets ( M. Varga – P. Hammel / R. Skukálek, LP Zvoňte, zvonky 1969) 05:1
Total time: 41:50
The album includes: LP in gatefold cover, insert in the form of a poster, code for downloading audio files
Publisher: Konvergencie – Society for Chamber Art, in cooperation with the Marián Varga Society, 2025
SOZA – BIEM: 1749-016-1
EAN/ISBN: 8588006338157
Performers:
Sisa Fehér, vocals
Jozef Lupták, cello
Vladislav Šarišský, piano
Oskar Török, trumpet
Arrangements: Vladislav Šarišský, Jozef Lupták, Oskar Török, Sisa Fehér
Sound engineer and director: Miloš Miňo Rojko, Birdland Studios
Mixing and mastering: Filip Hittrich, Vladislav “Slnko” Šarišský, Jozef Lupták
Production: Konvergencie – spoločnosť pre komorné umenie, o.z. and Spoločnosť Mariána Vargu (Lea Majerčáková, Jana Vargová, Jozef Lupták, Naike Škorecová)
Booklet and texts compiled by: Jana Vargová
Graphic design: Karol Trnovský
Video: Juraj Ondráš
Photos: Richard Köhler, Martina Lukić, Martin Dubovský
Portrait photo of Marián Varga: Tibor Borský
LP production: Vinyl LAB, Trenčín
Godfather: Ladislav Snopko (Agnes)
℗ © o. z. Konvergencie 2025
Link to purchase the digital album
