The new version of the national anthem of the Slovak Republic was broadcast by Slovak Television and Slovak Radio in the first minutes of 2025. While some Slovaks were waiting for it with enthusiasm, others were forced to listen to it out of curiosity. Among the first reactions, the evaluations of journalist Zuzana Kovačič Hanzelová and actress Kristína Tormová appeared on social networks.
The well-known Slovak musician, producer, conductor and composer Oskar Rózsa received criticism before the introduction of the anthem. At the beginning of the year, everyone could listen to the anthem and form an opinion.
“And I’ve already heard and I normally don’t have an opinion. It will never be music again. It will be, unfortunately, (despite a sincere effort to be open-hearted) forever the soundtrack to a movie about the state of our country and society and government in 2024. I’m sorry… hooray for doing patriotism differently,” responded Tormová.
“Many of us have a bad taste for it, the story is sad, even tragic. But at least the anthem is nice. ŠNR, friends,” Hanzelová expressed herself. PHOTOS of their posts can be found in the gallery above the article.
The anthem will be published on the websites of the Ministry of the Interior (MV) of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Culture (MK) of the Slovak Republic, from where institutions and citizens can download them for use free of charge. It will be performed live for the first time on January 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the New Year’s concert of the Slovak Philharmonic.
“The new version of the national anthem is recommended as the official national anthem of the Slovak Republic in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior. It can be played at all official events,” MK said. After January 1, it will be possible to use older versions of the Slovak national anthem. “The new version will be gradually introduced, while the exact time horizon is not set. It is estimated that it will be within three to four months,” it added, adding that the use of the older version will not be sanctioned.
At the same time, the Department of Culture noted that the singers a musicians can continue to sing the national anthem at various events as it has been until now. “A special version of the new adaptation of the national anthem is also prepared for this variant, which can be used as a musical background,” he added.
The adaptation of the national anthem was prepared by the MK in cooperation with the Slovak Philharmonic. She received a new arrangement after 32 years, while the original text and melody remain unchanged. In the new version, the anthem should sound more solemn, contain a short prelude, and a typically Slovak element, such as the fujara, can also be heard in it. The author of the arrangement is Slovak composer, conductor and producer Oskar Rózsa.
