Lukáš BORZÍK
(1979)
Lukáš Borzík represents a rare synthesis of two disciplines within the Slovak context — an academically trained guitarist and a professionally educated composer.
His compositional output spans from early conservatory works to mature, conceptually rich compositions. The guitar appears throughout his catalogue in both solo and ensemble settings, serving as a mirror of his evolving compositional language. His earliest solo work, L’aube (2002), explores harmonically dense textures in the left hand, while later pieces such as Prelude of The Unborn (2013) and Bagatela (2014) exhibit a refined control of texture. Borzík also integrates the electric guitar into chamber settings, notably in Perpetuum mobile (2014), where it shares expressive prominence with organ, percussion, and strings, and again in Septett (2022). His guitar music is distinguished by timbral sensitivity, spiritual resonance, and a seamless integration of idiomatic technique into broader compositional structures.
Veselý, Ondrej: Guitar Compositions of Slovak Composers and Female Composers III. In: Slovenská hudba – Revue pre hudobnú kultúru, 2023.
GUITAR SOLO
L'Aube
YEAR: 2001
ABOUT:
L’AUBE is the first original composition for solo guitar by Lukáš Borzík. It was written during his studies at the Conservatory in Žilina under the guidance of Pavol Krška and originally bore the title Prelude L’AUBE. Even in this early work, Borzík’s inclination toward harmonic richness and technical refinement is clearly evident—particularly through dense left-hand chordal shapes that create a complex and colorful sound texture. The piece is introspective and poetic, yet it pushes the instrument to the edge of its technical capabilities, foreshadowing the expressive character of the composer’s later style.
L’aube also carries historical significance: as a graduate of both guitar performance and composition, Borzík represents the first Slovak figure to systematically merge interpretative and compositional approaches to the guitar. The piece is thus thoroughly idiomatic—not only in terms of material, but also in its way of thinking about the instrument as a medium. This distinguishes it from many works by composers who approached the guitar from the outside.
DEDICATION: to my dear Anna
FIRST PERFORMANCE: not available
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
Veselý, Ondrej: Guitar Compositions of Slovak Composers and Female Composers III. In: Slovenská hudba – Revue pre hudobnú kultúru, Vol. 49, No. 4, 2023, pp. 400–403.
Prelude of The Unborn
YEAR: 2013
ABOUT:
Prelude of The Unborn is an introspective work for solo guitar in which Lukáš Borzík develops the musical language explored earlier in his orchestral piece Clarissima (2007). The structure of the piece unfolds like “deepening breaths”—with fluid, almost ambient shaping of dynamics and phrasing that supports its poetic and meditative character. While the surface may seem restrained, the composition conceals refined inner motion and a subtle distribution of tension. The work represents a mature phase in Borzík’s style, where spiritual reflection, formal discipline, and a deep sensitivity to the guitar medium come together in quiet unity.
DEDICATION: to Jozef Mária
FIRST PERFORMANCE: 04.04.2013, Iceland Academy of the Arts, Reykjavík/IS, performer: Adam Marec
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
Bagatela
YEAR: 2014
ABOUT:
Bagatela was composed in 2014 for the Rajecká hudobná jar (Rajec Spring Festival). Despite its title, the piece is not a simple miniature; rather, it unfolds as a continuous development of motifs with a poetic atmosphere and gradually intensifying dynamics. The foundation of the work lies in a repeating bass pattern, which serves as a pulsating harmonic anchor for lyrical lines in the middle and upper registers. Borzík's characteristic sensitivity to microdynamics and restrained tension is evident throughout, culminating in an expressive climax near the end. Bagatela is an introspective and technically refined work that emphasizes nuance, timbral richness, and sustained melodic phrasing.
DEDICATION: The piece was composed for the Rajecká hudobná jar (Rajec Spring Festival)
FIRST PERFORMANCE: not yet performed
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
CHAMBER MUSIC
Two Songs
YEAR: 2000
MOVEMENTS: I. Once upon a time, II. A Song
INSTRUMENTATION: tenor & guitar
LYRICS: Štefánia Partošová & Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav
ABOUT: n/a
DEDICATION: without a dedication
FIRST PERFORMANCE: not available
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
YEAR: 2000
INSTRUMENTATION: tenor & guitar
LYRICS: Štefan Atila Brezány & Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav
ABOUT:
The beginnings of Lukáš Borzík’s compositional work naturally stem from his background as a guitarist. As early as the year 2000, he wrote several songs in which the guitar serves as an accompanying instrument to the voice. Among these early pieces are settings of poetry by Štefan Atila Brezány (Golden Words, The Singing Brook) and Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav (A Song). These works are marked by a lyrical character and reflect the composer’s early interest in melodic clarity, timbral balance, and sensitivity to text. The movement Zlaté Slová was later revised in 2010.
Zlaté slová [Golden Words] & Spevavý potok [The Singing Brook]
DEDICATION: without a dedication
FIRST PERFORMANCE: not available
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
YEAR: 2000/rev. 2016
INSTRUMENTATION: flute & guitar
ABOUT:
This is a version of an earlier work by Lukáš Borzík, originally written for tenor and guitar.
Pieseň bez slov [Song without words]
DEDICATION: without a dedication
FIRST PERFORMANCE: not available
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
YEAR: 2014
INSTRUMENTATION: electric guitar, percussion, organ
ABOUT:
Perpetuum mobile represents a unique contribution to Slovak guitar literature, particularly through its equal treatment of the electric guitar alongside two sonically dominant instruments: organ and percussion. The result is an unconventional timbral combination, where each instrument participates in a balanced expressive dialogue. Composed in 2014, the piece reflects Borzík’s continued interest in contemplative structures, rhythmic layering, and spiritual subtexts. Here, the electric guitar emerges not as a supporting or effect-based voice, but as a fully integrated chamber instrument in its own right.
Vergangene Zeiten
YEAR: 2007
INSTRUMENTATION: clarinet (trumpet), piano, guitar, violin, viola, and cello
ABOUT:
The tide of ebb
in the play of memories.
Then over there
and now right here.
Will never was.
And to the ebb,
a tide —
unceasing.
DEDICATION: to Vladimír Bokes
FIRST PERFORMANCE: 110 November 2007, Melos-Étos, Pálffy Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia
RECORDING: The premiere recording is preserved in the Slovak Radio archive.
SCORES: available from the composer
Perpetuum mobile
DEDICATION: to Vladimír Bokes
FIRST PERFORMANCE: December 2014, Bratislava Organ Festival, Large Concert Studio of Slovak Radio, Bratislava/SK, performers: Michal Bugala (electric guitar), Lenka Novosedlíková (percussion), Marek Štrbák (organ)
RECORDING: The premiere recording is preserved in the Slovak Radio archive
SCORES: available from the composer
Perpetuum mobile
YEAR: 2015
INSTRUMENTATION: four guitars
ABOUT:
n/a
DEDICATION: to Bratislava Guitar Quartet
FIRST PERFORMANCE: not yet performed
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
Septett
YEAR: 2022
INSTRUMENTATION: baritone saxophone, piano, electric guitar, and string quartet
ABOUT:
n/a
DEDICATION: to the Ukrainian people
FIRST PERFORMANCE: ANSAMBEL SO36
RECORDING: The premiere recording is preserved in the Slovak Radio archive.
SCORES: available from the composer
In Deo
YEAR: 2023
MOVEMENTS: I. ...(...Hymnus), II. ...(...Laudes)
INSTRUMENTATION: violoncello, guitar
ABOUT:
n/a
DEDICATION: without
FIRST PERFORMANCE: 30.04.2024, Sound & Word #2, Albrecht House, Bratislava/SK
Performers: Petr Nouzovský (cello), Adam Svitač (guitar)
RECORDING: available from the composer
SCORES: available from the composer
Contemplatio
YEAR: 2024
INSTRUMENTATION: guitar, string quartet
ABOUT:
Contemplatio was written for the 2024 J. K. Mertz Festival, where it was premiered by Ondrej Veselý and the Mucha Quartet as part of their program dedicated to Slovak works for guitar and string quartet. The piece forms an introspective, meditative arc that reflects Lukáš Borzík’s deeply rooted spiritual worldview. His musical thinking is intrinsically connected to personal faith and a conception of Being as a spiritual reality.
DEDICATION: without
FIRST PERFORMANCE: 24.06.2024, 44th J. K. Mertz Guitar Festival in Bratislava (Concert Hall of Klarisky), Bratislava/SK
Performers: Ondrej Veselý (guitar), Mucha Quartet (string quartet)
RECORDING: https://arsbivium.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-guitar-and-string-quartet
SCORES: available from the composer
komorná hudba
chamber music
Dve piesne [2001]
pre tenor a gitaru
O SKLADBE:
dve časti: Bolo Raz, Pieseň
VENOVANIE: bez venovania
NAHRÁVKA: nedostupná
NOTY: v archíve skladateľa
Zlaté slová [2000, rev. 2010]
pre spev a gitaru
O SKLADBE:
Nedostupné
TEXT: Štefan Atila Brezány
VENOVANIE: bez venovania
NAHRÁVKA: nedostupná
NOTY: v archíve skladateľa
Two songs [2001]
for tenor & guitar
ABOUT:
in two movements: Bolo Raz, A Song
DEDICATION: without a dedication
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
Prelude of The Unborn [2013]
O SKLADBE:
Nedostupné
TEXT: Štefan Atila Brezány
DEDICATION: without a dedication
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer
Zlaté slová [2000, rev. 2010]
pre spev a gitaru
O SKLADBE:
Nedostupné
TEXT: Štefan Atila Brezány
VENOVANIE: bez venovania
NAHRÁVKA: nedostupná
NOTY: v archíve skladateľa
Prelude of The Unborn [2013]
O SKLADBE:
Nedostupné
TEXT: Štefan Atila Brezány
DEDICATION: without a dedication
RECORDING: not available
SCORES: available from the composer