When Bastienne, a shepherdess, worries her dearest Bastien has forsaken her for another pretty face, she asks the village soothsayer Colas for help. He advises her to feign indifference; if she does that, Bastien will return. To find out how the story ends, go to see the comic opera Bastien and Bastienne, a parody on Rousseau's operetta Le Devin du Village (The Village Soothsayer), which WA Mozart composed when he was only 12 years old. Tenor Jozef Ivaška will sing Bastien, soprano Andrea Čajová will play Bastienne and bass Jaroslav Pehal will sing Colas in a performance for children on June 20 and 21 at 11:00 in the Mozart Hall of the Austrian Embassy at Ventúrska 10, Bratislava. More info at 02/5464-1337.
photo: Courtesy of Bastien and Bastienne
Western SLOVAKIA
Bratislava
FESTIVAL: Live Streets - This three-day happening includes performances by street theatres, jugglers, acrobats and live sculptures.
Runs: Jun 22-24. Admission: free. Streets of Old Town.
Tel: 02/5935-6650.
Bratislava
LIVE MUSIC: Celtic Korzo Party - Irish folk band The Cassidys performs in Bratislava for the ninth time along with Slovak dance troupe Petronella.
Starts: Jun 23. Admission: free. Main Square. Tel: 02/5935-6650.
Bratislava
LIVE MUSIC: Sting Broken Music Tour - The multitalented superstar from Great Britain, who's one of the most recognised personalities in pop music, returns to the Slovak capital after six years.
Starts: Jun 21 at 19:00. Admission: Sk1,590-Sk3,990. Artmedia football stadium, Petržalka. Tel: 0904/666-363.
Bratislava
EXHIBITION: Work - Photographer Mišo Bak presents 30 large-scale photos from his commercial work between 2000 and 2006.
Open: 6:00-21:00 by August 31. Admission: free. Apollo Business Centre, Prievozská 2/A. Tel: 02/5830-3010.
Bratislava
EXHIBITION: Re-paintings - Renowned post-modernist Rudolf Fila displays his over-painted artworks.
Open: Tue-Sun 12:00-18:00 until June 25. Admission: free. Galéria Slovenskej Sporiteľne (Slovenská Sporiteľňa Gallery), Zelená 2. Tel: 02/5977-9102.
Pezinok
FESTIVAL: Cibulák - The 17th year of this three-day festival, inspired by the French tradition of performing plays on town streets, welcomes theatre troupes and musicians from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain and Slovakia.
Runs: June 22-24. Admission: most outdoor performances and concerts are free of charge; tickets are Sk50 and Sk100. The castle's courtyard and other sites in Pezinok. Tel: 0905/239-409,www.cibulak.sk
Kamenný Mlyn
FESTIVAL: Country Mlyn (Country Mill) - This traditional country music festival features Czech musicians Honza Nedvěd, Wabi Daněk and Marie Rottrová and Slovak groups Peha and Bukasový masív, among others.
Runs: Jun 23-24. Admission: Sk400 (festival pass), Sk250 (one day). Kamenný Mlyn, Plavecký Štvrtok (near Malacky).
Tel: 034/7793-279.
Central SLOVAKIA
Every June, the courtyard of Zvolen Castle hosts its Castle Plays theatre festival. This year, the opera part, which starts June 24, is divided into works of the Italian Romantic period and those by WA Mozart, whose 250th birthday the world is currently celebrating. Apart from the comic opera La Finta Giardiniera (The Pretend Garden Girl), the sounds of Mozart will be heard in Don Giovanni, performed by the Košice State Theatre. Puccini's La Boheme will feature Italian soloists Sara Galli and Stefano Secco. The Slovak premiere of Verdi's Alzira, with soloists Susanna Branchini and Vittorio Titelli, will complete the festival on June 30. Tickets cost Sk80 to Sk200 per performance. For more information, call 045/5332-191 or visit www.djgt.sk.
photo: Banská Bystrica State Opera
Hronsek
LIVE MUSIC: Iva Bittová - The voice and violin of this great Czech unconventional musician resonates in the magnificent space of an 18th century wooden church.
Starts: Jun 23 at 19:00. Admission: Sk89. Hronsek, 5 km from Banská Bystrica.
Tel: 02/5935-6650, 048/4155-085.
Terchová
COMPETITION: Scythe Championships - This picturesque village in northwest Slovakia hosts the 7th annual grass cutting competition with a traditional scythe, as well as axe and knife throwing contests and a woodcutting competition.
Starts: Jun 24 at 10:00. Admission: free. Hotel Gavurky. Tel: 041/5695-138.
Eastern SLOVAKIA
Košice
CLASSICAL MUSIC: Final Concert of the 37th ŠfK Season - The Slovak State Philharmonic Košice (ŠfK) and violinist Krzystof Jakowicz play works by Edouard Lalo, Wojciech Kilar and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Starts: Jun 22 at 19:00. Admission: Sk90-Sk130. Dom Umenia (The House of Arts), Moyzesova 66. Tel: 055/16-186.
Košice
FOLKLORE: Cassovia Folkfest - A rich and colourful five-day programme of the festival of traditional European culture embraces performances by music and dance folk ensembles, as well as the tasting of local specialties and a torchlit procession through the city.
Runs: June 21-25. Admission: Sk300 for the whole festival. The amphitheatre and other venues in the city. Tel: 055/7894-717.
Levoca
CLASSICAL MUSIC: Convergences - Violinist Ivana Pristašová, piano player Nora Škutá and cellist Jozef Lupták play within the 7th year of the festival.
Starts: Jun 22 at 18:00. Admission: Sk50. Evangelic Church. Tel: 053/4513-763.
