Ensemble Varietas is a Slovak chamber ensemble founded within the Opera of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava.
The ensemble is dedicated to the performance of both traditional chamber music and works for less conventional instrumental combinations, with a particular emphasis on compositions by Slovak composers. Its repertoire also includes chamber recitals by soloists of the Slovak National Theatre Opera, and its concerts are often complemented by literary and dramatic performances by members of the Slovak National Theatre Drama Company.
The ensemble is highly flexible and adapts its instrumentation according to the dramaturgy of each concert. Its largest formation is a nonet consisting of a string quartet and a wind quintet, but it also performs works for smaller ensembles, including septet, wind quartet, wind quintet, and wind quintet with piano. In addition to its concert activities, the ensemble is also active in recording projects.
The ensemble’s inaugural project was a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20 for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, and horn, which was broadcast by the Slovak National Theatre as part of its online programming in December 2020 to mark the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
Ensemble Varietas collaborates with contemporary Slovak composers, including Lukáš Borzík, Ľuboš Bernáth, and Slavo Solovic, and is actively involved in presenting lesser-known works of 20th-century music. These include compositions by Milan Novák, Milan Kořínek, Igor Dibák, and Ilja Zeljenka.
In 2026, the ensemble released its debut album Nontes, featuring works by Czech and Slovak composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Alongside compositions by Jan Novák and Bohuslav Martinů, the album includes premiere recordings of nonets by František Babušek and Ľuboš Bernáth, who dedicated his Nonet in D to the ensemble.
In the same year, Ensemble Varietas also participated in the recording of Lukáš Borzík’s Wind Quintet: Songs of Mercy, featured on the album Missa da pacem.