Collegium Musicum

Collegium Musicum was a Slovak progressive rock and symphonic rock band formed by keyboard virtuoso Marián Varga and bassist Fedor Frešo in Bratislava in late 1969. They are best known for their complex, predominantly instrumental compositions centered around Varga's Hammond organ, lengthy solos, and rock-tinged reinterpretations of classical works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Dvořák, Stravinsky, Bartók, and others in the Western classical canon. While never achieving mainstream popularity, Collegium Musicum was among the most foundational pillars of the Czechoslovak big-beat scene in the 1970s, drawing frequent comparisons to English progressive rock counterparts Emerson, Lake & Palmer, with Varga himself being labelled the "Slovak Keith Emerson". The group throughout its life featured some of the foremost Slovak rock instrumentalists, who apart from Varga and Frešo included František Griglák, Pavol Hammel, Martin Valihora, and others. They gained notoriety among the Slovak youth counterculture for their unique and improvisational live performances, and the band would spend significantly more time touring the country than in the recording studio. Nonetheless, eight LPs were released over the span of ten years, and Varga disbanded the group soon after recording their final studio record, Divergencie (1981). Collegium Musicum enjoyed a revival through touring in the late 1990s and from 2009 onward, particularly among younger generations. The latter featured the so-called "classic" lineup of Varga, Frešo and Griglák, but with newcomer Martin Valihora on drums. The group disbanded after the death of leader Varga in August 2017.