Convergences with The Hiliard Ensemble

Convergences bring to Košice an exclusive consert of British vocal ensemble The Hiliard Ensemble and an unusual rendition of Maori music.

International chamber music festival Convergences takes place in Košice for the fifth time between 8^th April and 2^nd June. The Convergences opening concert is on 8^th April at the VojtechLöfflerMuseum at 18:00. Pianists Ivo Varbanov and Fiammetta Tarli, and cellist Jozef Lupták will perform the works by Johannes Brahms.

Renowned British vocal quartet The Hiliard Ensemble will give the last concert of their career in Slovakia. After successfully hosting twice at Convergences in Bratislava (the Officium novum project with Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, and the Bach programme Morimur), the ensemble accepted an invitation to the festival in the European Capital of Culture to present their renditions of the works by English Medieval and Renaissance composers on 1^st June. The concert in St. Elisabeth’s Cathedral will interestingly include the Slovak premiere of Cadman Requiem by contemporary English composer Gavin Bryars. Bryars´ composition will be accompanied by the world concert premiere of Vladimír Godár’s new composition, written upon a request from Convergences for The Hiliard Ensemble. Slovak musicians Igor Karško, Peter Vrbinčík and Jozef Lupták will perform together with the world-famous vocal ensemble in both compositions.

However, the festival begins two days earlier by the rendition of Silvester Lavrík’s literary-musical project Confidential Contract or Finding the Political Will (30^th May). Then, the festival continues to celebrate chamber music. Three excellent Slovak musicians – Igor Karško (violin), Jozef Lupták (cello), Nora Skuta (piano) – will perform the works by Leoš Janáček, Ernest Dohnányi, Dmitrij Shostakhovich and Johannes Brahms. Both events take place at the VojtechLöfflerMuseum.

Convergences often transcend genre boundaries. In the current year, the festival dramaturgy features the attractive programme Waiora by New Zealand composer and performer Horomon Horo (31^st May), whose performances blend elements of traditional Maori culture with different cross-genre inspirations. On 2^nd June, the festival ends with a performance by American string quartet Fine Arts Quartet with famous British cellist Robert Cohen. The ensemble performs the works by Rachmaninoff, Brahms, and Efrem Zimbalist (1889 – 1985), in Slovakia virtually unknown violinist, composer and conductor.

Tickets for the concerts and festival season tickets are on sale now at www.konvergencie.sk, and in the Ticketportal network.