About the Festival
Since 1996, the international festival Days of Early Music has been organized every year as one of the major music events in Bratislava and the only one of kind in Slovakia. The aim of the organizers is to contribute to embedding the principles of historically informed performance in musical life in Slovakia, not only on an individual basis but also in music institutions and music education. This means in the limited possibility of pedagogical reality to gain the interest of young musicians in the orientation towards the specialization of qualified and competent interpretation of early music.
The festival focuses on music from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Organizers seek, invite and accept offers from specialized performers - those who play on historical instruments or on true copies and follow the well-known principles of performance practice following aesthetic ideals.
An important intention of the Days of Early Music is the presentation of world-famous and popular composers and the revival of Slovakia's musical history. An interesting aspect of the Days of Early Music is the presentation (often premiering) of new works by contemporary Slovak composers composed for period musical instruments.
The next important part of the festival are events for music students and general public. The purpose of pre-concert discussions with guest performers, lectures, seminars and creative workshops is to draw attention to the fact that by applying period interpretive principles the interpreted works of past centuries acquire a new dimension.
Days of Early Music is one of the leading music festivals not only in Slovakia but also in the international context.
This is evidenced by guest ensembles such as El Concierto Espagnol, Les Pages et Chantres de la Chapelle, Concerto Pollacco, Ensemble Baroque de Nice, Ensemble Unicorn, Musica Aniqua Prague, Musica aeterna Bratislava, Schola Hungarica, Schola Gregoriana Pragensis, Collegium 1704, Ensemble cinquecento, Ensemble Clément Janequin, Purcell Choir, Orfeo Orchestra, The Czech Ensemble Baroque, Lotz trio and conductors and soloists such as Andrew Parrott, Steven Stubbs, John Toll, Pascal Dubreuil, Emily van Evera, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Monica Huggett, Eric Hoeprich, György Vashegyi, Monika Melcová, Petra Noskaiová, Aapo Häkkinen, Mahan Esfahani, Guillermo Pérez and many others.