Banská Bystrica gets jazzy
THE TENTH International Dixieland Festival 2005, which is part of the United Europe Jazz Festival, will run in the central Slovak town of Banská Bystrica May 6 and 7. After it will head to Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic, Salgotarján in Hungary and Zakopané in Poland.
The festival started in 1996. Since then, 33 Dixieland orchestras and 18 soloists from home and abroad have brought the fast improvisational rhythmic jazz, which has its origins in New Orleans, to Banská Bystrica listeners. One of the most significant guests at the first festival was Joe Murányi, a Hungarian clarinetist living in the USA and the last living co-player of Louis Armstrong.
The 10th year will start Friday, May 6 at 15:00 with a Dixieland parade. Slovak orchestras will start toes tapping at 15:30 on the SNP Square, followed by the Polish Jazz Band Ball Orchestra and the Czech "Frank Sinatra" Láďa Kerndl, in the evening. Saturday's programme opens at 15:30 with local groups and Polish pianist Jerzy M Bozyk on the SNP Square. The Urpín cinema will host English band Anything Goes. The Bratislava Traditional and Revival band, with its guests, Joe Murányi and Czech Milan Kašuba, will close the festival.
The Czech town of Hradec Králové was scheduled to host the festival May 1, and the Hungarian town of Salgotarján will hold it May 5 to 8. Polish Zakopané hosts it from April 23 to May 5.
Košice celebrates spring with music
ACCESSIBILITY is what defines this year's 50th annual Košice Spring Music festival. The festival presents 10 concerts from April 28 to May 27.
The programme includes classical music in various forms; in its purest as well as in arrangements influenced by jazz and folk.
Iva Bittová and Marián Varga will perform the alternative pieces. Among other well-established Slovak musicians visitors can listen to violinist Dalibor Karvay and mezzo-soprano Jolana Fogašová.
The repertoire consists of famous works by great composers.
Two concerts in Hummenné and Spišská Nová Ves also form part of the festival, as well as a performance of Carmen in the Košice State Theatre.
For more information on the festival's programme (in English) visit www.sfk.sk.
Bratislava boys sing in Israel
THE BRATISLAVA Boys Choir is currently on tour in Israel. Between April 29 and May 10, the choir's members will perform the Oratorio Terezin by Canadian composer Ruth Fazal in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, under the baton of American conductor Kirk Trevor.
Choose a cup of inspiration
photo: Courtesy of Artzept Cup
VISITORS to the Zepter company gallery at Panská 14 in Bratislava can choose which coffee cup would suit them until May 8. More than 80 artists from 29 countries are displaying 125 different views on how they picture this banal, everyday object.
Gordana Biba Markovič from Serbia and Montenegro curated the show, Artzept Cup 2004, which was at the same time a competition for artists and designers from around the globe. A seven-member international jury chose the three best and most inventive works. The Serbian and Montenegrin artist, Slobodan Roksandič, won the competition for his porcelain-plastic cup. After Slovakia, the exhibition will move to other cities.
In this, the second year of the contest, the participating artists also compete for the most inventive Cruet Set of 2005. For more information on the project, visit www.artzept.com.
Turn off your sound effect please
ORANGE Slovensko, a Slovak mobile operator, invites people to the cinema and at the same time teaches them to switch off their mobile phones.
In a campaign that accompanies the company's entry as a sponsor in the movie industry, Orange says it is also taking on the responsibility of getting people to turn off their mobile phones in cinemas.
Advertising spots shown before movies in selected cinemas communicate the message to a viewer in an entertaining way. The spots feature movie stars such as Patrick Swayze, Sean Austin, Daryl Hannah and Verne Troyer. The British Television Awards rewarded the spots the Best TV Cinema Spot 2004. Slovak cinemas will run the spots until end of 2005. The first of the world premieres that the company helped bring to Slovak screens was Around the World in 80 Days. Others will include Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Batman Beginning, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Genesis and the fourth Harry Potter film.
Prepared by Spectator staff from press releases
