During the very long years of the so-called “normalization” (e.g. during the 1970s and 80s) I never doubted about the future collapse of the Communist regime but I always dreamed about a festival of spiritually inspired art which will present a large spectrum of artistic activity from different art branches (music, painting, sculpture, theatre…). Today, almost 20 years after the fall of the regime, we are lucky to have many festivals of spiritually based music in our country – the St.Wenceslas Festival in Prague, similar festivals in Brno, Olomouc, Ostrava and in many other town and places.

But this festival mostly concentrate themselves on the high-level performance of well-known repertory of the past and just occasionally bring compositions written during the post-war decades or even premieres of new works. And this is the reason why I find the Forfest Festival held annually in Kroměříž to be as the closest to my original idea from the “dark years” – I appreciate its many-sided general idea as its accent on the contemporary art activity of various kind.

I find both to be of very high value and find important that Zdenka and Václav Vaculovič, its devoted and imaginative organizers, strived from the very beginning of the festival after that as after the basic ideas, linked with the international character what brings the useful confrontation, which overcomes the dangerous (and traditional) domestic narrow-mindedness.

Concerts, exhibitions, periodically even a colloquium which brings a reflection of meanings, sense and tendencies of contemporary spiritually inspired art – this is the basic spectrum of 20 years of the Forfest programs which makes its every year to be a rich and diverse complex. And its emphasis on contemporary music is something what makes Forfest to be a specific and high-value festival.

Should I wish to the Forfest Festival some good wishes to the coming years, than surely I would wish them to keep this character as long as possible. And should I wish something to myself, than to visit the Forfest Festival in a good health for many more times.




Prof. PhD Milan Slavický /CZ/ - Academy of Music in Prague /CZ/