ENSEMBLES from four countries are coming together to give audiences a genuine slice of Central European baroque music and dance. The Polish, Hungarian, Czech and Slovak performance takes place in the courtyard of Bratislava castle on August 16. The show, Dances of Baroque Europe, starts at 20:00.
The idea for a co-production arose following the successful appearance of Poland's Ardente Sole Court Ballet at the 2004 Summer Festivities of Early Music in Poland. Prominent music ensembles from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary were called to join the Polish dancers.
The result is a medley of different styles found in baroque times within the respective nations. From the opulent delights of the Habsburg imperial court to the merrymaking of impoverished Slovak nobles, the repertoire introduces fun at all levels of the upper class. The dancers will appear in baroque costumes and the musicians will play original instruments. All the dances are of Central-European provenance. The work of the Austrian composer Johann Joseph Fux is represented by pieces from his Polish, Hungarian and Velehrad collections, and from the pen of Telemann comes the Polonaise, the Hanaquoise (a Moravian dance), and to close, a Hungarian march.
Prepared by Spectator staff
