The fifth annual Capalest festival of poetry, theatre, and music will begin on August 16 in Banská Štiavnica (Banská Bystrica region) with the sound of the fujara trombita (a Slovak instrument similar to the Alpine horn) resounding from the town's towers.
"The festival showcases traditional Slovak music, and the fujara trombita can't be left out. It's made of tree trunks split in two, hollowed out, joined together again and fastened with tree bark," said festival folklore consultant Drahoš Daloš.
He compared the instrument to the first mobile phone. Sheep farmers in the hills used the fujara trombita to send information from place to place. The players will be followed by Jan Deme's 20-member gypsy band. In the evening, 40 poets who have performed at previous festivals will take part in a music-poetry performance.
The multilingual and multicultural festival will also feature French chansons, Spanish flamenco, an unusual flute orchestra from France, and a fairytale performed by the residents of a social care home. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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