We will conclude the Sounds of Democracy event series, organised in cooperation with the Pohoda Festival, by revisiting the events of November 1989. Join us for two afternoons filled with music, theatre, freedom and important memories.
Admission is free, subject to venue capacity.
PROGRAMME
Monday, 16 November
16:30 Remembering November 1989 (St. Anne’s Square)
17:30 – 18:30 Discussion with Milan Kňažko and Michael Kocáb (KKC Hviezda)
19:00 – 20:00 Concert: Pražský výběr (CZ) (KKC Hviezda)
20:15 – 21:15 Concert Story & Milan Kňažko (KKC Hviezda)
21:30 – 22:40 Concert FVCK_KVLT
Tuesday, 17 November
17:00 – 18:30 Film screening 20 Days in Mariupol (KKC Hviezda)
18:00 Theatre Re: Slovak Night of the Long Knives (ODA)
18:50 – 19:45 Post-screening discussion With a camera in the Midst of War (KKC Hviezda)
20:00 – 21:00 Concert Edúv syn (KKC Hviezda)
21:30 – 22:30 Concert Alyona Alyona (UA) (KKC Hviezda)
Remembering November 1989
Venue: St. Anne’s Square, by the Memorial to the Victims of Communism
Host: Eva Miškovičová
Discussion with Michael Kocáb and Milan Kňažko
Venue: KKC Hviezda
Guests: Michael Kocáb, Milan Kňažko
Moderator: Oliver Rehák
In November 1989, artists were not merely part of the programme at public gatherings. They actively participated in the events that led to the fall of the communist regime. Musician Michael Kocáb and actor Milan Kňažko were among the prominent figures of the Velvet Revolution, and both later experienced politics from the inside.
What remains of the ideals of November 1989, and how do they hold up in today’s political reality? What do current disputes over the independence of public institutions, the position of culture, and the limits of political power tell us about the state of our democracy? What role do artists play in times of social tension, and can art still change society?
Michael Kocáb – Musician, composer and leader of the band Pražský výběr. In 1989, he took part in negotiations between the opposition and representatives of the communist regime. As a member of the Federal Assembly and chairman of a special commission, he was responsible for overseeing the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia. He later served as Minister for Human Rights and Minorities, bringing together experience in artistic creation, civic engagement and political decision-making.
Milan Kňažko – Actor and co-founder of Public Against Violence (Verejnosť proti násiliu). In November 1989, he helped organise public demonstrations and became one of the leading faces of the revolution in Slovakia. During the 1990s, he became actively involved in politics and personally experienced the tensions and conflicts that accompanied the development of Slovak democracy during the era of Vladimír Mečiar. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic and Minister of Culture.
Oliver Rehák – Music journalist, writer and editor of the culture section of Denník N. He studied musicology at Comenius University in Bratislava and has long focused on music, art and the functioning of cultural institutions. He previously worked as a journalist and head of the culture section at the daily newspaper SME. He also co-founded the cultural magazine ¾ revue and A4 – Space for Contemporary Culture.
Concert: Pražský výběr (CZ)
Venue: KKC Hviezda
Pražský výběr is a legendary rock band. Between 1982 and 1986, the band was banned by the socialist regime and became the target of a smear campaign entitled “New Wave with Old Content”, which portrayed new wave music as a tool of ideological subversion.
Throughout their career, Pražský výběr have recorded several albums and film soundtracks, including the cult album “Straka v hrsti”, which spread across the country through underground distribution.
The band have performed in numerous sold-out sports arenas, played concerts abroad and even starred in a feature-length autobiographical film, “Pražákům je hej”.
Notable performances include the “Adieu CA” concert marking the end of the Soviet army’s occupation of Czechoslovakia, featuring a guest appearance by Frank Zappa, a concert in Florida for Cuban refugees, and a concert tour in 2012 that attracted more than 100,000 fans.
Pražský výběr continue to perform today with their most popular line-up.
Concert: Story & Milan Kňažko
Venue: KKC Hviezda
Milan Kňažko is not only a leader of the November 1989 Velvet Revolution and an outstanding actor, but also an excellent singer with a distinctive style.
Since 2019, he has collaborated with composer and bass guitarist Marian Zima, the founder of the musical project Story. Other artists involved in the project include Martin Chodúr, Peter Lipa, Pavol Hammel and many more.
Story have released two albums. Alongside original compositions, their repertoire includes chansons by Jacques Brel, Serge Lama and others, performed in three languages – Slovak, Czech and French.
Their live performances, combining music with spoken word and a distinctive atmosphere, have become part of many prestigious Czech and Slovak festivals.
Concert: FVCK_KVLT
Venue: KKC Hviezda
FVCK_KVLT is an authentic project by Trnava-based musician and songwriter Denis Bango (The Wilderness), who has shaken up the underground music scenes in Slovakia and the Czech Republic across genres. He gained particular attention with his second album, Zabijem sa! (2020), but his breakthrough to a wider audience and the media came with his third, strongly socially engaged album, Cigán (2023). The album earned him two Radio_Head Awards – the Critics’ Award and the Listeners’ Award for Album of the Year.
His fourth studio album, Mŕtva revolúcia, was released in March 2025. Drummer and producer Jakub Spiszak joined the original line-up featuring DJ VKTRD and Paris. With this line-up, Kvlt Crew toured Slovakia and the Czech Republic and performed at numerous festivals.
Mŕtva revolúcia is a conceptual and philosophical project that defies musical categorisation. According to Denis, it comes two steps closer to his long-standing, complex musical vision than his previous recordings. This album also received two Radio_Head Awards. An integral part of the project is the Manifesto of the Dead Revolution – an experimental text that brings together the concept behind the entire work. It is distributed in printed samizdat form at concerts or included with vinyl records and merchandise.
The raw energy of live performances serves as a medium for the messages of the Dead Revolution, which never truly dies.
FVCK_KVLT is currently working on a new album, finishing a book of interviews with journalist Patrik Garaj, composing music for theatre productions and occasionally performing his songs solo on the piano. His music is released under the Brno-based label Kabinet Records.
Theatre: Re: Slovak Night of the Long Knives
Performed by Schwarzes Loch Europas
Venue: Okruhový dom armády Trenčín
Part reconstruction of a real event, part documentary reflection on the past and the present in which society finds itself. In 2024, when the production was created, the Slovak Night of the Long Knives marked its 30th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, we created a theatrical experience that invited audiences to confront this collective national trauma. You can experience it with us again at ODA in Trenčín on 17 November 2026.
How far back do the roots of the abuse of power go? This theatrical adaptation of the first and second sessions of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, held on 3 and 4 November 1994, will offer some answers. You will be able to listen to or sing along with Slovak hits from the 1990s, perhaps enjoy iconic retro snacks from the parliamentary buffet, vote with or against the coalition of the time, and witness how democracy and its values are undermined. In short, you will experience the Slovak Night of the Long Knives.
Audience members are free to move in and out of the parliamentary buffet during the performance, making the experience feel as close to reality as possible.
Formal or smart casual attire inspired by the 1990s is more than welcome!
Creative Team
Idea, concept and direction: Mário Drgoňa
Text: Tereza Trusinová
Dramaturgy: Tereza Trusinová, Peter Pavlac
Set and costume design: Magdaléna Vrábová
Music: Juraj Bielik
Production: Mário Drgoňa, Zora Bezáková, Schwarzes Loch Europas
Performers: Kristína Kanátová, Katarína Šafaříková, Adam Marenišťák, Daniel Ratimorský, Filip Jekkel, Michal Spielmann, Márk Mezőszallási, Tomáš Stopa, Tomáš Vravník
Film Screening: 20 Days in Mariupol
Venue: KKC Hviezda
The Oscar-winning film 20 Days in Mariupol bears witness to the horrors that unfolded in Mariupol, which became one of the most powerful symbols of the Russian invasion. It is a compelling testimony to the courage of journalists and the suffering of civilians.
A documentary that should never have been made.
“Wars don’t start with explosions. They start with silence.” Following its release, the documentary received positive reviews and numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. During his acceptance speech, director Mstyslav Chernov said he was probably the first person on that stage to say he wished he had never made the film. “I wish I could exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine.”
Mstyslav Chernov’s film is based on his own footage, captured while documenting the war in Ukraine for The Associated Press. It offers an authentic and unflinching look at the horrors of war.
Post-Screening Discussion: With a Camera in the Midst of War
Venue: KKC Hviezda
Guests: Juraj Mravec, Dominika Tarinová
Moderator: Mirek Tóda
The documentary 20 Days in Mariupol captures the first weeks of the Russian invasion through the eyes of journalists who remained in the besieged city, documenting events as they unfolded on the ground.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with documentary filmmakers Juraj Mravec and Dominika Tarinová, both of whom have firsthand experience filming in Ukraine. What does it mean to document war at close range? What can a camera capture, and what remains outside its frame? What responsibility does a person bear when documenting the suffering of others, and why are such testimonies important at a time when war has become part of everyday news coverage?
A conversation about war, life in Ukraine, and the power of documentary film to preserve testimonies that must not be forgotten.
Juraj Mravec – Photographer, cinematographer and documentary filmmaker who has been documenting the war in Ukraine for many years. In his documentary Mir vam (2016), he captured the war in eastern Ukraine. His film Mir nam(2024) presents authentic testimonies of people whose lives have been affected by the Russian invasion. His photography has earned him awards at Slovak Press Photo and Czech Press Photo.
Dominika Tarinová – Documentary filmmaker and legal consultant specialising in immigration law. She studied law at the University of Vienna and documentary filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU). Her film work explores various subjects, including Ukraine. In Navôkol tma, she portrays life in Kyiv during power outages, while Eternity and a Day follows a theatre company in Kherson that continues creating performances even after shelling shattered the windows of its theatre building.
Mirek Tóda – Journalist and head of the foreign news desk at Denník N. He has long focused on international politics and the post-Soviet region. He has been travelling regularly to Ukraine since the Orange Revolution in 2004 and has covered the Russian invasion through firsthand reporting from the war-torn country.
Concert: Edúv syn
Venue: KKC Hviezda
Edúv Syn is the pseudonym of Matej Myslovič, a Slovak visual artist and musician based in Prague. His roots lie in the punk and hardcore scenes, which are strongly reflected in his work. However, it was dark trap beats and complete independence from genre conventions that allowed him to fully realise his potential.
Edúv Syn is a trap poet who puts into words everything that doesn’t fit into everyday life. In his introspective lyrics, he openly explores mental health, depression, existential crises and social criticism, closely connecting these themes to the state of contemporary society. But don’t expect Xanax-fuelled emo rap or melodrama. Instead, his music offers a raw and honest account of someone exposing darkness in all its destructive beauty. Music often serves as a form of therapy – a darkness we can all share. Matej doesn’t follow trends. He walks his own original path and has long collaborated with some of the most interesting projects on the Slovak and Czech underground scenes.
His uncompromising artistic identity and genre flexibility are also evident on his new album, Levý král, created in collaboration with producers Matej Turcer and Patrik Nagy. Breaking down all previous genre boundaries, he wanders the streets like a wild stray cat. Alongside gritty underground trap, the album unexpectedly features post-rock guitars, the psychedelic road-movie track Meteorit from the Moroccan desert, short punk skits and experimental piano passages featuring contemporary composer Richard Grimm. The album also brings together an impressive line-up of guest artists, from the legendary Hugo Toxxx and Fobia Kid to Cringe Prince.
Concert: Alyona Alyona (UA)
Venue: KKC Hviezda
A former kindergarten teacher, Alyona Alyona has earned praise from journalists at The Independent, Vogue, The New York Times and Forbes, which included her in its prestigious 2020 list of the 30 most influential European artists under 30. At Reeperbahn Festival 2019, she received the Anchor Award for emerging artists, while at Eurosonic she won both the Music Moves Europe Talent Award and the Public Choice Award. She has hundreds of thousands of followers, and her videos have attracted tens of millions of views. However, she has changed the thumbnails of her most-watched YouTube videos to display a single message: “While you are watching this video, people in Ukraine are dying because of Russian attacks. Stop it!”
The Ukrainian rapper is an unstoppable force of nature on stage. With her wild flow and groove, she brings the realities of Ukraine’s younger generation to life. In 2019, she released her debut album Pushka, followed shortly afterwards by the EP V khati MA.
Among the jury members of the Anchor Awards was Bob Rock, producer for bands such as Metallica and Aerosmith, who said of her: “She immediately got me out of my seat, and perhaps for the first time in my life, I started recording a concert on my phone. I didn’t understand a single word she was saying, but it was so powerful that it completely blew my mind. Most importantly, I would have bought her record right there and then.”
Another jury member, Tony Visconti, former producer of David Bowie, was even more expressive in explaining their decision: “We chose an artist who completely blew us all away the moment she started performing!”
