“It was one of the most beautiful, biggest, and most pleasant surprises I have ever experienced,” reflects Daniel Matej on a gift he received for his 50th birthday.
Ivan Šiller was the one who came up with the idea of this unforgettable surprise. He turned to composers all over the world with an unusual plea: write a birthday piece for Daniel Matej.
The outcome is a collection of 29 personalized wishes, unique variations on the “Happy Birthday” song. The compositions last anywhere between a couple of seconds and some minutes, they can be witty as well as dramatic, and among them is also a waltz and a pavane.
The gift has been living its own spectacular story. Its premiere took place in September 2014 at the Great Concert Hall of the Slovak Radio, followed by concerts all over Slovakia as a part of the Mobile Cultural Center project.
In 2018 “Fifty” was released in the InMusic publishing house.
Photo: Martin Hruboš
