VLADIMÍR GREŽO

Dear guests and visitors of the summer festival of culture,  

Welcome to 33rd volume of The Summer of Culture Festival Bratislava 2008!

Our festival will again change streets, squares and courtyards of our city into stages for 90 days. It’s already 5th volume in new dramaturgy of BKIS, which was rewarded previous year by reaching magical number of 100 000 visitors. And therefore we want to express our thanks – in the beginning by the Opening week and later by the structure of the program of the whole festival.

Opening week lasts 11 days, from June 19 till June 30. It will be started by formal opening of the festival summer for partners, guests and friends of good wine on the 10th annual event “Vino Gallery”. We will continue by summer premiere of the Slovak National Theatre Ballet – “Kylián v meste“(Kylián in the city) on open stage for general public. Unlike the traditional performance will be this event accompanied by orchestra containg 30 musicians and will be performed for the first time in this form on open city stage – on the Main Square. After the grandiose opening concerts of Sting and Tori Amos we can look forward to Lenny Kravitz on the Artmedia Petržalka football stadium.

Offer of opening events is enriched by children’s festival of country dances Heel and Toe Show with 300 competing dancers from Slovakia and Czech Republic, 6 days lasting Guitar festival of Johann Kaspar Mertz, vernissage of the exhibition “Socha a objekt“ (Statue and object) and long awaited concert of respected Slovak flamenco guitarist Flaco de Nerja.

Overall will be realized 18 concerts with performers from 9 countries. Part of the opening week will be hosting of Italian UmbriaMusicfest on Main Square and musical evening Anja Bukowec World Tour 2008 on the occasion of ending of Slovenian EU presidency.

The Summer of Culture isn’t coming to the city slowly and silently to closed stages but in great style and directly to the main streets and squares – gains control over the city and changes it without questions.

Summer is very powerful – it forces the strongest media and TV producers to respects the fact that during summer different rules are valid and viewers are changing their habits. It changes the formulas and a new player enters the contest. Summer sends us viewers to open stages, no matter if they visit our festival regularly or just occasionally or come to Bratislava as visitors.  

This year we prepared 24 stages and more than 250 events. Traditional and steady festivals with unique cast – Summer Shakespeare Festival, modern festival of classical music Viva Musica, performances within cycles – Túlavou cestou, Jazz pod vežou, and new programs – Léto hereckých osobností Bratislava - Praha, musical cycle World & ethno music and newly interpreted Živé ulice.

Summer is magic – it is on our side, it plays with the sun in the sky or in our logo of the festival, it invites to the streets. And when the Sun sets down our sun in the symbol of our festival is still shining for you. On the Bratislava castle, Devín castle, under the tower of Old Town hall, at The Red Crayfish, in the streets and squares of Bratislava.

I wish you wonderful summer! Welcome to The Summer of Culture Bratislava 2008!


Vladimír Grežo
director of BCIC