Vladimír Godár

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The second Vladimír Godár's birthday concert took place on Sunday, March 22, at 6 pm, as part of the Konvergencie festival. In the sold-out Concert Hall of the Slovak Radio we've got an opportunity to listen to a rich programme directed by the head of the Konvergencie festival, Jozef Lupták, who was also the main performer of the night. A very popular Sonata in Memory of Viktor Shklovsky for cello and piano, in which the cellist Jozef Lupták was accompanied by the pianist Nora Skuta, opened the celebratory night. With their emotional rendering the performers have installed a meditative atmosphere which continued also in the work Talisman, for which they were joined by the violinist Daniel Rumler. Another violinist Michaela Hrubá and viola player Martin Ruman were invited to combine with the trio for the performance of the quintet Déploration sur la mort de Witold Lutosławski. The first half of the night was concluded by the Technik choir led by the choirmaster Petra Torkošová. They premiered a totally new choral composition Ave Maria. In a charming piece Dormi Jesu the solo was beautifully sung by Ivana Honcová. The choir was accompanied by Jozef Lupták and the guitarist Martin Krajčo. In the third choral work Sweet and Low the choir was joined by the string quartet (Rumler, Hrubá, Ruman, Lupták) and Krajčo's guitar.

The second part was opened perhaps by the most emotional music of the night, the duo Bikít Gilgamesh, lament for bass and cello, performed by its original and in fact the only performers: Peter Mikuláš and Jozef Lupták. After more than 20 years which passed from its premiere, and countless performances, the work serves as an example of perfect harmony between the performers, projected to the enthusiastic expression and leaving deep impressions in listeners. The following La Canzona refrigerativa dell arpa di Davide, boasting dozens of performances, too, was originally written for cello with harp accompaniment, but it is equally calming also in the version in which the harp is replaced for Martin Krajčo's guitar. During concluding minutes of the concert filled with musical gifts the ensemble Hilaris Chamber Orchestra with its concertmaster Alan Vizváry occupied the stage and presented the popular Emmeleia in orchestral version. Then with Godár's friend from England, the conductor Andrew Parrott, they played Lullabies in which Eva Šušková sung the solo part, and the concert ended with Barcarolle for violin, 12 strings, harp (Mária Kmeťková) and harpsichord (Adam Štefunko).

During the long and thunderous applause dedicated not only to the birthday person but also to all performers onstage, the composer thanked all his friends for a marvelous evening. Prior to final farewell to this terrific event, the encore sounded, played by Hilaris Chamber Orchestra again and a phenomenal violinist Stanislav Palúch. They offered the vigorous movement Hajdu – Rondeau from the Little Suite for Little David. This time another close friend of Vlado Godár, Peter Breiner, conducted the orchestra from his seat at the harpsichord. This collosal concert event was a monumental gift of all present musicians to the composer and to all who love his music.

Moreover a new CD was on sale in the foyer of the Slovak Radio, containing all Godár's pieces which had sounded at the Konvergencie concerts during the whole existence of the festival.

We would like to express our gratitude to all participating performers as well as organizers of this unbelievable night!

These beautiful photographs from the concert were made by Jarmila Uhlíková and Ľubomír Dait, thank you cordially!

The most attractive aspect of the anniversary concerts of Vladimír Godár was the fact that they were interconnected, thus accentuating the mutuality and collaboration in honour of the man who, for his whole life, has been searching for ways to join people under a common goal. While Jozef Lupták, the founder and director of the Konvergencie festival, performed also at the Albrechtina concert on March 18, 2026, the members of Albrechtina association, the singer Eva Šušková and guitarist Martin Krajčo, appeared also at the Konvergencie concert on March 22, 2026.

The first from Vladimír Godár’s birthday concerts – Vladimír Godár – 70 – took place as part of the Albrechtina cycle (Un)known Music on Wednesday March 18 at 6 pm in the Moyzes Hall of the Faculty of Philosophy of Comenius University. The concert was awesome and all who weren’t present might regret! Godár’s pieces from the first part of his professional life shone mostly in new renditions, but an icing of the cake was the deeply felt performance of Talisman by the trio Peter Hamar, Ján Slávik, Gabriela Hamarová, which had premiered the piece on March 11, 1984! Sonata in Memory of Viktor Shklovsky was beautifully played by Ján Slávik, its original performer from 40 years ago, this time with the flawless accompaniment by Daniela Varínska. Sequence for violin and piano, which was once premiered by the superb violinist Juraj Čižmarovič and pianist Miki Skuta, was today rendered by Juraj Tomka and Magdaléna Bajuszová in a performance which was definitely not worse, sending shivers and passion rarely offered by contemporary Slovak music. Magdaléna Bajuszová mastered also the piece Grave in an extraordinary way, revealing its unexpected outlines horizontally and vertically – resulting in amazing dramaticism and relief. After decades we’ve got an opportunity to listen to Lullabies on lyrics by Jan Skácel in an original instrumental version: performed gorgeously and with grace by Eva Šušková, Ivica Gabrišová, Jozef Lupták and Ivan Šiller. In Autumn Meditation Mucha Quartet demonstrated how many appearances can have just one tone. The quartet members Juraj Tomka, Veronika Kubešová and Pavol Mucha together with Magdaléna Bajuszová opened the whole concert by the composition Ricercar which was written in the time when the tonight performers either were not born yet or were just toddlers. The night culminated with the latest Godár’s piece Songs on lyrics by Tomáš Janovic, again sung by Eva Šušková accompanied by the Bratislava Guitar Quartet (premiered at the Bratislava Music Festival 2025). Although the concert was longer than usual, the satisfied listeners and fans of Vlado Godár’s music in the Moyzes Hall of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Comenius University were applauding enthusiastically both the musicians and the author. 

The event was preceded by the surprise from the FoPh which has awarded the author a Golden Medal of Merit for the Faculty of Philosophy of the Comenius University. The medal was presented by the dean of the FoPhCU Prof. Marián Zouhar, PhD,

We cordially thank all who contributed to this wonderful evening and its fantastic atmosphere!

We are thankful to Jarmila Uhlíková for the charming photos from the event. 

Konvergencie festival has also prepared a great surprise, have a look: 

Vladimír Godár is a popular composer of music to movies, majority of them directed by his friend the film director Martin Šulík. Kino Lumière joins the celebrations of his milestone birthday with screening the movies with his music, Take a look:

All the details regarding the birthday events can be found on the 

Upcoming Events webpage!

The exquisite Dutch string quartet Matangi Quartet honoured Vladimír Godár by naming him the residential composer of this year’s Moving Music Festival, the successor of the former Unheard Music Festival, which in the past hosted such leading composers as Valentin Silvestrov, Paweł Szymański and John Psathas. The event was visited by the composer himself. The concert of his music was preceded by the INspired concert presenting the works by Heinrich Biber, Valentin Silvestrov and Alfred Schnittke, thus demonstrating music close to Vladimír Godár’s heart and presenting the possible inspirational basis of his creativity. The INspired concert was followed by an interview with the residential composer of tonight’s event.

The concert took place on January 24, 2026 in the New Church in The Hague. In the first part of the evening Emmeleia was presented in two versions: for piano and for string quartet, Talisman for string trio and Deploration sur la mort de Witold Lutosławski for piano quintet. After the intermission a new piece Largo and Passacaglia for string quartet opened the second part of the concert and the whole night culminated by an impressive fiery performance of Concerto Grosso. In the third movement of the piece the musicians on stage were joined by two dancers, who added another dimension to the spirituality of the whole performance. The choreography was prepared by Thom Stuart with De Dutch Don’t Dance Division.