Varaždin’s Baroque evenings are Place to Be if you Happen to Arrive

15.03.2021
Festivals

Varaždin’s Baroque evenings enchant everyone who is lucky enough to attend them. Let us walk you through the program they offer.

For almost five decades, baroque music survives through the Croatian baroque capital and the former capital of Varaždin. You’ve got to admit that it’s not so common to participate in that kind of social gathering nowadays. Right!?

Varaždin has it all. Remarkable architecture, dazzling parks, homemade specialties, lovely people – and a dash of old music.

When are Baroque evenings held?

Varaždin’s Baroque Evenings (VBVs) are held in the fall, mostly in churches and palaces, but not just in Varaždin. Baroque Evenings are now a two-week festival with about thirty concerts conducted by hundreds of musicians. Tens of thousands men and women from all over the world are gathering in Varaždin to attend those concerts. Even the New York Times is talking about Varaždin. The Festival of Varazdin’s Baroque Evenings is the most significant music-scene of Central Croatia.

Founded in 1971, today, it is a specialized early music festival and one of the most important festivals of this kind in the world. It is under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Croatia, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia gave it national significance 20 years ago. Since couple of years ago, the festival has a partner country every year. So far, these countries were Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Israel, Austria, the Russian Federation, Italy, France, Spain Hungary, and Japan, and this year it will be Sweden.

Where it all started

The idea about the festival that would consolidate Varaždin’s rich tradition and history in culture, music, and education – particularly in music, was born in 1968 on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the Music School Varaždin.

A group of Croatian musicians and public cultural workers decided this tradition could be best illustrated by the festival that would consolidate and present the richest and the most extensively preserved heritage: musical, architectural, horticultural, visual, literary and educational.

First three-day- long festival was held, and it was at that time one of the few in Europe, specialized in this type of music.

It was a real art to plan an event like this at thetime. Musicologists and musicians were extensively discussing the ways of performing it – whether to use contemporary instruments and existing ensembles or using instruments and sorts of ensembles from the past times.

Europe had renovated architecture and instruments and among the corpus of ensembles and orchestras, there were artists profiled in Baroque music. The leading countries in the mentioned aspect were England, Germany, and France.

Each year people are asking for an extra ticket to be a part of this cultural uplift

The Varaždin’s Baroque Evenings, by bringing eminent European authors, musicians, and ensembles as well as performing their repertoire, developed the awareness regarding the restoration of the Baroque heritage that was devastated.

Each year, we are seeing an increase in the number of concerts, ongoing research, and restoration activities. Each year, the program becomes richer.

This was a huge motivation to re-establish old traditions. This small, but historically prosperous town, known as the most suitable for young families, was regaining life again. People from all over the world are coming to participate in Baroque evenings,and they are thrilled with the vibes this town is emitting.

Every year, the Varaždin’s Baroque Evenings become a meeting place for performers, builders of authentic instruments, musicologists, musicians, students and music teachers from all across the globe.

A three-day festival flew by, so promoters decided to expand the event to the two-week festival andthirty concerts instead of just three.

Festival’s lineup is more and more spectacular and improving with every passing event, whether in quality of performances, spreading on new locations, new compositors, new musical areas where performers are coming from, new audience, or in a new, engaging content. Here you can meet history and the modern ages blended in a perfect mix – and you must be daft if you miss this social uplift when and if you are visiting our lovely Croatia during this particular period!

Your CTC Team, V.K.