Igor Berger

PhDr. Igor Berger was a Slovak musicologist, music critic, publicist, organizer of musical life, and performer. After completing his piano studies at the Conservatory in Bratislava (around 1968), he spent some time in the United States seeking opportunities as a pianist. Upon returning, he worked in a second-hand bookstore on Michalská Street while simultaneously studying musicology. Later, he worked for a long time at the Slovak Music Fund under the leadership of then-director Alojz Stuška.

In the 1990s, he began to systematically focus on musical and aesthetic education for youth. He worked as a presenter and performer in several original educational concert projects together with tenor Ivan Ožvát and baritone Mikuláš Doboš (such as Usmejme sa s hudbou [Let’s Smile with Music], Hudba maľuje obrázky [Music Paints Pictures], and others). He was also an excellent improviser. They performed a classical song repertoire, and he devoted reflections on this topic to professional publications.

Additionally, he actively promoted and performed Yiddish songs. Together with Ivan Ožvát, he gave more than 150 concerts at home and abroad, presenting Jewish musical culture in Slovak cultural centers abroad (in Bucharest, Budapest, Moscow, Belgrade, Warsaw, and others), as well as in restored synagogues in Slovakia.

However, Igor Berger was primarily a music publicist and critic. During his professional career, he published countless reviews, essays, and articles in journals such as Hudobný život (Musical Life), Kultúrny život (Cultural Life), previously in the popular magazine Rytmus, and also in daily newspapers. In his writings, he paid special attention to original Slovak compositions, with an emphasis on choral music. Equally significant was his reflection on concert life in Slovakia, individual concerts, concert series, and major festivals (such as BHS and Nová slovenská hudba [New Slovak Music]). Reviews of audio recordings were also a natural part of his publishing activity.