Leoš Janáček – FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020

30. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] Recital by Pavol Breslik and Róbert Pechanec (+stream OperaVision)

Leoš Janáček — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 09:05:15 +0000

30. 11. 2021, 7 pm

Reduta Theatre, Mozart Hall

Pavol Breslik – tenor

Róbert Pechanec – piano

Simultaneously with the date of this performance, there will also be a live stream for the www.OperaVision.eu platform, where it will be possible to watch the performance.

Claude Debussy: a selection of songs

Joaquín Turina: Poema en forma de canciones

Leoš Janáček: 6 national songs (sung by Gabel Eva)

Alban Berg: a selection of songs

Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder

This recital by one of the most respected contemporary tenors, Pavol Breslik, features a selection of songs by composers who personified the progressive trends in music at the beginning of the 20th century: Claude Debussy (1862–1918), a prominent representative of musical impressionism; Alban Berg (1885–1935), a member of the Second Viennese School; Richard Strauss (1864–1949), the most fundamental bearer of the tradition of late romanticism; and Leoš Janáček (1854–1928), a ‘lone wolf’ who cannot be assigned to any 20th century musical tendency. There will also be songs by the Spanish composer Joaquín Turina (1882–1949).

Author: Jiří Zahrádka

The post 30. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
Recital by Pavol Breslik and Róbert Pechanec (+stream OperaVision) appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

27. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] The Echoes of the festival: Destiny (+stream OperaVision)

Leoš Janáček — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 15:15:35 +0000

27. 11. 2021, 5 pm

Janáček Theatre

Author:	Leoš Janáček
Conductor:	Marko Ivanović
Director:	Robert Carsen

During this period, the performance will also be broadcast simultaneously within the OperaVision platform, where it will be able to watch it for free.

Coming soon

SYNOPSIS

Act 1 – The colonnade walk in Luhačovice
At the centre of attention of the many guests at the spa town is the poet Dr. Suda, who is there with his friends, Konečný and Lhotský, and a young lady named Míla. A new guest arrives, the composer Živný. The group is surprised to find that Živný and Míla have met before. New people appear on the scene: the singing teacher Miss Stuhlá, along with some young people who are looking forward to a scouting excursion with Dr. Suda. Most of the people then leave, and only Živný and Míla stay behind. Their previous love affair had been put to an end by Míla´s mother, for whom the prospect of her daughter living with a composer was comparable to a beggar´s existence. Živný has been composing an opera about his unfortunate fate ever since. Only now does he find out that he had wrongly suspected Míla of infidelity: her son Doubek is actually his son. The two lovers agree that they will live together, Míla´s mother notwithstanding.

Act 2 – The married couple´s apartment
Živný sings excerpts from his opera. He must now delete those parts in which he unjustly accused Míla of faithlessness. Young Doubek asks his mother whether she knows what love is. Míla knows this far too well – love and the whole of her life are ruled by Fate, Fatum. Life with Míla´s mother is becoming hell. The mother´s insanity is increasing: she is forced to live under one roof with a man who, in her opinion, is interested only in her money. Živný appears to her like a wicked raven. She wants to fly away from him, but falls off the balcony and drags Míla down with her. Živný is in despair about his wife´s death. He invites thunderbolts to strike at his wretched fate.

Act 3 – The assembly hall of the conservatoire
Students are singing from the score of the new opera written by their Professor Živný. The work is to have its premiere in the theatre that evening, but the last act is still missing. The students ask their teacher to tell them something about his strange opera. With great animation, Živný speaks about the origin of the piece, and the surprised students realize that the content of the opera is in fact their professor’s very own life story. Živný´s narration is just getting close to the point of Míla´s death when suddenly thunderbolts from a real storm can be seen. Živný collapses. The end of his opera remains unfinished and in the hands of God, much like Živný´s fate.

OPERA CAST LISTS

Conductor: Marko Ivanović

Stage director: Robert Carsen

Dramaturgy: Ian Burton

Set Design: Radu Boruzescu

Costume Design: Annemarie Woods

Lighting Design: Peter van Praet a Robert Carsen

Choreography: Lorena Randi

Choirmaster: Pavel Koňárek

Assistant Stage Director: Gilles Rico

CAST:

Živný, a composer: Enrico Casari & Philip Sheffield

Míla Válková: Alžběta Poláčková

Míla´s mother: Natascha Petrinsky

Dr. Suda: Peter Račko

Lhotský, malíř: Jan Šťáva

Konečný: Igor Loškár

Miss Stuhlá, a teacher: Daniela Straková-Šedrlová

Doubek (child): Kryštof Cholava

Poet: Michael Robotka

First lady / Miss Pacovská: Andrea Široká

Second lady / Mrs. Majorová: Tereza Kyzlinková

Student: Michael Robotka

Old Slovak woman: Jitka Zerhauová

Mrs. Radová: Jana Hrochová

Young widow: Hana Kopřivová

Engineer: Pavel Valenta

Verva, student: Lukáš Bařák

Součková, student: Marta Reichelová

Kosinská, student: Jarmila Balážová

Doubek: Daniel Matoušek

Sklepník: Ivo Musil

Hrázda: Ondřej Koplík

Servant: Petr Štych

Nána: Kristýna Svítilová

Lhotský, painter: Jan Šťáva

Simultaneously with the date of this performance, there will also be a live stream for the www.OperaVision.eu platform, where it will be possible to watch the performance.

The opening ceremony of the festival will be marked by the return of one of the world’s best opera directors, Robert Carsen. This creator of productions praised for their dramatic grasp, poesy and artistic refinement has returned to Janáček´s opera works once again after his previous productions of Jenůfa, The Cunning Little Vixen, Katya Kabanova, The Makropulos Affair and From the House of the Dead. Destiny, created especially for the Janáček Opera, National Theatre Brno, is thus Mr Carsen’s sixth interpretation of a work by the Czech master.

The first decades of the 20^th century were characterized by a search for new ways and means of expression, and this was doubly true for opera. Janáček had already taken a radically new path with Jenůfa before embarking on a musical and dramaturgical excursion into totally uncharted lands with his fourth opera, Destiny. As is the case with other works by him, Janáček’s creativity was inspired by a beautiful woman, 28-year-old Kamila Urválková, who was the wife of a forest manager in Zahájí as well as an ex-lover of the composer Ludvík Čelanský. Janáček met her in Luhačovice in August 1903. Kamila described her romantic relationship with Čelanský, which hadn’t turned out well: Čelanský portrayed his disillusionment in the opera Kamila, where the lady in the title role was portrayed as an unstable and immature person. Janáček fell for her charms and decided to create “a brand new, modern opera” in which her good name would be restored. After his return from Luhačovice, he searched for a suitable librettist capable of processing his ideas and eventually asked Fedora Bartošová, a young teacher and erstwhile friend to his deceased daughter Olga, to do so. He didn´t call Destiny an opera, but rather three episodes from a novel, and it places spectators in a completely different environment to that of his earlier operas. The very first tones of the orchestral waltz take us amongst the cream of high, spa-going society. The simple natural prose of previous works is replaced by the language of decadent poets, and the plot is unveiled before the eyes of the audience via the dialogue between the two main characters, the composer Živný and his lover Míla. As with his other operas, Janáček drew extensively from his notes on the melodies of human speech. Despite the undisputed musical qualities of the work, the composer didn´t live to see Destiny performed. It was originally assigned to the Brno Theatre, but Janáček decided to have it performed at the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague. However, after a series of delays and despite many promises, the premiere didn´t take place. It wasn’t until 1934 that Janáček´s pupil Břetislav Bakala prepared a radio version, following it up with a concert version twenty years later in 1954. Destiny was finally staged for the first time in Brno on 25^th October 1958, adapted by Václav Nosek.

Even though Destiny stands somewhat in the shadow of Janáček´s top operas, mainly due to its distinctive libretto, it has an important place in the history of opera as well as in Janáček´s compositional development.

Autor: Patricie Částková

The post 27. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
The Echoes of the festival: Destiny (+stream OperaVision) appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

26. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] The Echoes of the festival: Destiny

Leoš Janáček — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 13:59:01 +0000

26. 11. 2021, 5 pm

Janáček Theatre

Author:	Leoš Janáček
Conductor:	Marko Ivanović
Director:	Robert Carsen

Coming soon

SYNOPSIS

OPERA CAST LISTS

Conductor: Marko Ivanović

Stage director: Robert Carsen

Dramaturgy: Ian Burton

Set Design: Radu Boruzescu

Costume Design: Annemarie Woods

Lighting Design: Peter van Praet a Robert Carsen

Choreography: Lorena Randi

Choirmaster: Pavel Koňárek

Assistant Stage Director: Gilles Rico

CAST:

Živný, a composer: Enrico Casari & Philip Sheffield

Míla Válková: Alžběta Poláčková

Míla´s mother: Natascha Petrinsky

Dr. Suda: Peter Račko

Lhotský, malíř: Jan Šťáva

Konečný: Igor Loškár

Miss Stuhlá, a teacher: Daniela Straková-Šedrlová

Doubek (child): Kryštof Cholava

Poet: Michael Robotka

First lady / Miss Pacovská: Andrea Široká

Second lady / Mrs. Majorová: Tereza Kyzlinková

Student: Michael Robotka

Old Slovak woman: Jitka Zerhauová

Mrs. Radová: Jana Hrochová

Young widow: Hana Kopřivová

Engineer: Pavel Valenta

Verva, student: Lukáš Bařák

Součková, student: Marta Reichelová

Kosinská, student: Jarmila Balážová

Doubek: Daniel Matoušek

Sklepník: Ivo Musil

Hrázda: Ondřej Koplík

Servant: Petr Štych

Nána: Kristýna Svítilová

Lhotský, painter: Jan Šťáva

Author: Patricie Částková

The post 26. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
The Echoes of the festival: Destiny appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

20. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] Prague Philharmonic Choir

Leoš Janáček — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 06:00:55 +0000

20. 11. 2021, 7 pm

Besední dům

Prague Philharmonic Choir

Choirmaster: Lukáš Vasilek

Buy tickets

Soloists: Kateřina Kněžíková (soprano), Jana Hrochová (alto), Jiří Brückler (baritone), Boris Stepanov (tenor)

Piano – Stanislav Gallin, Marcel Javorček, Martin Levický, Lenka Navrátilová

Josef Bohuslav Foerster (1859–1951): Die Weihe der Nacht, Op. 87/I

For female choir and piano

Leoš Janáček (1854–1928): Wolf´s Footprints JW IV/39

for soprano and tenor solo, female choir and piano

Josef Bohuslav Foerster (1859–1951): Abendlied, Op. 89/b

for male choir a cappella

Leoš Janáček (1854–1928): The Wandering Madman JW IV/43

for soprano, tenor and baritone solo, and male choir a cappella

Vítězslav Novák (1870–1949): Four Poems by Otokar Březina, Op. 47 – selection (3. Magic Midnights, 4. Thus Sang the Burning Stars)

for mixed choir a cappella

Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971): The Wedding

for solos, mixed choir, four pianos and percussion

The concert offers a cross-section through the essential Czech and Moravian choral works of the first two decades of the 20^th century (with some overlap, of course). During this period, which was a hectic time not only for music, the trio of composers Foerster – Novák – Janáček indicated the future direction of choral art. It is clear that Janáček´s work represented a fundamental shift from the then-current way of composing for choirs. This is also shown in other choral compositions featured in the programme for this concert. The second half will feature one of the foremost choral works of the 20^th century, Stravinsky´s The Wedding.

For Josef Bohuslav Foerster, the pre-war period was an extremely fruitful and happy one. The author, who lived in Vienna at that time, had his works published by Universal Edition, a publishing house that published many of the major musical achievements of Central Europe at that time. The composition for female choir with piano accompaniment Die Weihe der Nacht dates back to 1910. Foerster wrote it based on the text of a poem by Christian Friedrich Hebbel, and originally provided it with an orchestral accompaniment. It is a kind of nocturne in which both the choir and accompaniment deliver some charming moments of onomatopoeia. The male choral work Abendlied (Evening Song) was composed in 1916 based on a poem by Gustav Kellar, and was again distributed by the prestigious Universal Edition publishing house.

Janáček composed for the female choir briefly at the beginning of 1916, when he created four choral pieces for texts by F. S. Procházka, including Wolf´s Footprints, a poem by Jaroslav Vrchlický. It is not a coincidence that he composed for the female choir during the war period. It was due to the fact that his tried-and-tested Moravian Teacher´s Choir had been so decimated by the loss of men going to the front that it could no longer tour, and so choirmaster Ferdinand Vach thus established the Moravian Female Teacher´s Choir. Wolf´s Footprints also had its premiere the same year. Janáček´s female choral works are rarely performed due to their difficulty, and this is also an opportunity for us to admire the composer´s incomparable invention and unmistakable use of female voices.

The work for male choir with a soprano solo The Wandering Madman was created ten years after Janáček’s trio of choral pieces for Bezruč´s texts. In 1921, Janáček attended a lecture by Rabindranath Tagore, where he noted down the melodies of the poet´s speech before later publishing a column on the subject. The world of this thinker was probably close to that of Janáček, and so shortly afterwards, in 1922, he composed a choral work based on Tagore’s work which is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the choral art. Janáček´s manuscript with a part of the composition decorates the composer´s grave at Brno’s Central Cemetery.

At one point in time, Vítězslav Novák was one of the nation’s most respected artists internationally. As with Foerster, his lucky star rose and shone just before the Great War. Otokar Březina´s poems, which Novák set to music in his mixed a capella choral works from 1912, are a certain philosophical meditation in the context of European symbolism. They are the very first pieces for mixed choir that Novák composed. They are difficult works to perform, and due to their almost mystical nature, they weren´t as well-received as Novák´s previous folk-infused choral composition. The four pieces based on the texts of Otokar Březina´s poems rank among Novák´s most remarkable choral works.

By way of creating a contrast to the featured Czech and Moravian music, one of the world’s top choral works of the 20^th century will also be performed – Igor Stravinsky’s The Wedding for solos, mixed choir, four pianos and percussion. The author started working on it in 1913 and finished the score in 1917. He used Russian wedding texts collected by Piotr Kirievsky for his composition. The Wedding was created alongside Stravinsky´s most famous work, The Rite of Spring, and just as it is there, the main motor of The Wedding is the rhythm, harsh and fascinating. The composer dedicated the “Dance scenes with music and voices” (the subtitle) to the Russian Ballet, and it performed this unusual work in 1923 with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska. Even though The Wedding is one of Stravinsky´s most distinctive works, it is performed only exceptionally due to the difficulties involved in performing and staging it.

Author: Jiří Zahrádka

The post 20. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
Prague Philharmonic Choir appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

19. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] The Greek Passion – Bohuslav Martinů

Leoš Janáček — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 13:47:17 +0000

19. 11. 2021, 7 pm

National Theatre Brno’s Janáček Opera

Author:	Bohuslav Martinů
Conductor:	Robert Kružík
Director:	Jiří Heřman

Coming soon

SYNOPSIS

Act 1

The bell in Lycovrissi announces the end of the Easter Sunday church service. The priest Father Grigoris arrives and announces the names of the villagers whom the council of elders have chosen for the next passion plays. The roles of apostles James, Peter and John are assigned to café owner Kostandis, the pedlar and postman Yannakos and the mayor´s son Michelis. The role of Mary Magdalene is given to Katerina, a widow. Quick-tempered Panait was chosen for the character of Judas, though he desperately protests against the assigned role. Christ remains, and this most difficult task is laid at the feet of Manolios. All of the chosen begin to feel the burden of responsibility. They are supposed to live virtuously for the whole year so that they may resemble the characters they are to represent in the plays. Manolios falls into such deep thought that he does not even notice his bride Lenio is teasing him, but suddenly cries in the distance draw everyone´s attention. A crowd of wretched people arrive. They are fleeing from the Turks, who have burnt their village. Hungry and exhausted, they beg for help and a piece of land where they could settle down again. But Father Grigoris, who doesn´t want to share out his people’s prosperity or land, only has harsh words for the refugees and Fotis, the priest who leads them. One of the refugee women, Despinios, suddenly dies, exhausted from hunger. Grigoris makes use of this opportunity by crying out “Cholera!” Scared, many of the villagers flee. Only Manolios, Katerina and a few others remain. Manolios advises the refugees to settle down on Mount Sarakina where there is water, wild animals and enough wood to build a fire.

Act 2

Katerina became a widow at a young age and has remained alone. The men of the village started to seek out her company, and she didn´t turn any of them down, whether it was Panait, old Patriarcheas or Grigoris. However, she thinks only of Manolios, but at the same time feels something more for him than just physical desire. She tells Yannakos of a dream she had about Manolios. Yannakos looks at Katerina in the same way as all the men in the village, and instead of understanding, she only receives a reprimand and is told to leave Manolios alone.

Rich moneylender Ladas waits to speak to Yannakos. He tries to persuade the pedlar that he could get rich fast if he went to the people on Mount Sarakina and took the gold and jewels which they’ve saved from the Turks. Of course, they would share in the profit. Yannakos gets an advance payment and sets off to Mount Sarakina.

Manolios meets Katerina at St. Basil’s spring. She confesses to him that she dreams of him. He is not indifferent to her, but he does not know how to help. Katerina begs him not to think about her anymore.

On Mount Sarakina, Fotis is trying to rouse the exhausted refugees and convince them that they can build a new life there. In the foundations of the gate to the new village, where the bones of ancestors are supposed to be buried, an old man dies, reconciled and happy that his children will continue to live. Yannakos, who came to Sarakina to profit from the villagers’ poverty, is shaken. Crying, he confesses to Fotis that he wanted to get rich from their misfortune and asks for forgiveness, giving away Ladas´ money to the people there.

Act 3

Manolios is full of doubts about his mission, and his internal struggle is reflected in a feverish dream. He does not even notice Lenio when she comes to see him, and she decides to transfer her attentions to the shepherd Nikolios. Manolios goes down to the village to see Katerina. She welcomes him happily, but Manolios begs her not to pursue him as he sees her as his sister. Katerina is moved, his words purify her and she will be devoted to him her whole life.

On the way to Sarakina, Katerina meets Yannakos. She explains to him that she is taking a sheep there so that the children will have enough milk. She doesn´t have any children herself, and so she feels like all of them are her own. Yannakos also finally understands Katerina´s transformation.

Manolios is trying to persuade the people of the village to help the refugees. Father Grigoris is furious as he feels that his position is threatened. Action is needed. He drives Manolios out of the village along with the “apostles”. Michelis tells Yannakos and Kostandis that Lenio no longer wants to marry Manolios. Nikolios arrives, afraid to tell Manolios that he is getting married to Lenio. Manolios, however, wishes him good luck.

Act 4

The joyful celebration of the wedding of Nikolios and Lenio is interrupted by the angry voice of priest Grigoris. The mangy sheep needs to be chased out of the herd so that it does not infect the others. Manolios is expelled from the church! Everyone who offers to help him will suffer the same punishment. But Michelis, Yannakos and Kostandis stand firmly by him. Manolios confesses to his sins. The role of Christ had aroused pride in him, but now he understands its true nature. Everything in life has its time, and now the time has come for the world, a cruel place where children die of hunger, to pass away. The sounds of voices are heard from afar – the Sarakina people are coming to fight. At that moment, the villagers kill Manolios, accusing Panait – Judas of the deed. There is only one thing left for the refugees…

OPERA CAST LISTS

Author: Bohuslav Martinů

Conductor: Robert Kružík

Director: Jiří Heřman

Scéna: Dragan Stojčevski

Kostýmy: Alexandra Grusková

Dramaturge: Patricie Částková

Choirmasters: Pavel Koňárek, Michal Vajda, Valeria Maťašová

Movement Collaboration: Kateřina Nováčková

________________________

Manolios: Harold Meers

Kateřina: Pavla Vykopalová

Priest Grigoris: Jan Šťáva

Priest Fotis: David Szendiuch

Jannakos: Ondřej Koplík

Kostandis: Roman Hoza

Lenio: Andrea Široká

Panait: Petr Levíček

Ladas: Robert Musialek

An old man: Josef Škarka j. h.

The Patriacheas: Petr Karas

Michelis: Dušan Růžička

Andonis: Vít Nosek

An old woman: Jitka Zerhauová

Nikolios: Tadeáš Hoza j. h.

Despinio: Tereza Kyzlinková

little Manolios: Boris Trhlík, Kryštof Cholava

The priest Grigoris has summoned a meeting of the elders in the village of Lycovrissi and is choosing villagers to play the roles of Christ and the Apostles in the local passion plays. Just then, the deep peace in which the villagers have dwelt so far is shattered by a sudden shock. Just as if the hand of God has appeared to demand proof of their faith, refugees arrive from a pillaged and abandoned village to ask for asylum. They are angrily refused and forced to seek shelter in the rocky mountains nearby. However, the newly appointed saints take it upon themselves to go to the unhappy refugees. The common daily worries of these people gradually fade away; the power of their faith and their roles in the approaching passion plays begin to transform their spiritual awareness into a new maturity. Every man and woman gradually realizes the only true meaning of one’s actions: are they good, or evil…This is how Bohuslav Martinů characterized his last opera The Greek Passion, which was inspired by the novel Christ Recrucified by the Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. The composer, who had also experienced the trials and tribulations of life as a refugee, created a work with a great humanistic message about the power of faith – a message which is more and more topical in today´s world.

Through his music, Martinů captures in an impressive way the story of a society that is manipulated, fanaticized and soon driven to the most horrific of acts. For their own comfort, the people of Lycovrissi sacrifice the innocent just so that they do not have to accept other citizens of their nation into their village, human beings who have lost their homes, and not through any fault of their own. The fact that they are all members of one nation makes the tragedy even greater. Personally, what interests me most about this story are the inner transformations of the people who are assigned parts in the passion plays. It is inspiring for me to watch how the individual characters identify themselves with their roles, how they cope with the weakness of the human ego and free themselves from it internally. I do not feel the need to update the plot of The Greek Passion by setting it in a refugee camp, for example. Bohuslav Martinů´s music is very inspiring, and for me this is a work of theatre poetry, a parable concerning a serious area of conflict in society as well as a hope that never ends. I do not wish to bludgeon the spectators with contemporary images, but I would like to lead them to awareness and hope via the timeless art of theatre.

Jiří Heřman

Martinů´s music springs from the places where he was born, and despite all his experience as a globetrotter and later as a forced emigrant, he always returned home to Polička, to the hills of the Czech highlands known as the Vysočina, and filled it with a deep understanding of everything that is hidden within a person. The Brno theatre is also connected with him and his art. His early ballets and operas were performed here for the first time, and Brno has never lost interest in its Martinů. Proof of this can be found in the fact that the Czechoslovak premiere of The Greek Passion was held here, and that the theatre also hosted the world premieres of operas performed after Martinů´s death, such as Three Wishes. This year, as we commemorate the 130^th anniversary of the composer´s birth, his last opera The Greek Passion is returning to the Brno stage, directed by Jiří Heřman and performed under the baton of Robert Kružík.

The post 19. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
The Greek Passion – Bohuslav Martinů appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

13. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] Tomas Kral and Ivo Kahanek’s recital

Leoš Janáček — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:05:45 +0000

13. 11. 2021, 7 pm

Vila Tugendhat, Brno

Tomáš Král	baritone
Ivo Kahanek	piano

Buy tickets

Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Trois chansons de France L 115 for song and piano

Claude Debussy: L´isle joyeuse for piano

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Kindertotenlieder for voice and piano

Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs JW V/2 for voice and piano

Leoš Janáček: 1. X. 1905 (From the Street, 1^st October 1905), JW VIII/19

This recital by the outstanding singer Tomáš Král will present songs by authors who were born within the space of ten years and are some of the most respected authors that opened the door to the musical breakthrough of the 20^th century. The songs presented at the concert were also born in close proximity timewise – between the years 1892-1904. So close, and yet so distant…

The songs Trois chansons de France by Claude Debussy (1862–1918) were created in 1904 and dedicated by the author to the singer Emma Bardac. There are three songs: two are roundels set to verse from the 15^th century by Charles d´Orléans, while the third was composed to a 17^th century poem by Tristan L´Hermite.

Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) wrote his Kindertotenliede in 1901 and 1904. The composer drew from a collection by Friedrich Rückert from 1833–34. From more than 428 poems he chose only five for his cycle. The songs were originally written for alto voice with an orchestral accompaniment. The melodies of the songs, in whose texts Rückert reacted to the death of children, make an extremely strong impression with their extraordinarily natural character (which approaches that of folk songs). The cycle is one of the highlights of Mahler´s song output.

Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs is one of the most extensive cycles by Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), being made up of 53 songs. The composer worked on it between 1892-1901, so within a period that’s also connected with his work on the opera Jenůfa. Janáček was intensively engaged in folk music and song collection from approximately 1888, and the peak of this activity dates back to the 1890s, when this interest was closely connected to his compositional work. He remained faithful to folk songs throughout his life, however. He also devoted many years to adapting folk songs to be sung with a piano accompaniment. He experimented with them to some extent, and as a result these songs form a very distinctive part of the composer´s oeuvre. In 1892, the Šolc publishing house released the second edition of the Bouquet of National Moravian Songs, which was compiled by František Bartoš and Lev Janáček. On that occasion the publisher asked Janáček to add piano accompaniments to the songs. Janáček did so for fifteen songs which Šolc published in a first book in 1893. The second book was published in 1902, when the publisher printed the remaining 38 songs. They weren’t released together as a set until 1908, when they were published under the name Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs. The songs were performed for the first time (and only four of them) in Brno in 1904. The cycle was probably not performed completely during the composer´s life.

Two piano compositions will also be performed at the concert: Ballade slave by Claude Debussy from 1890, and 1. X. 1905 (From the Street, 1^st October 1905), which Leoš Janáček composed in 1905.

Author: Jiří Zahrádka

The post 13. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
Tomas Kral and Ivo Kahanek’s recital appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

7. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] The Greek Passion – Bohuslav Martinů

Leoš Janáček — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 13:44:14 +0000

7. 11. 2021, 7 pm

National Theatre Brno’s Janáček Opera

Author:	Bohuslav Martinů
Conductor:	Robert Kružík
Director:	Jiří Heřman

Coming soon

SYNOPSIS

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

OPERA CAST LISTS

Author: Bohuslav Martinů

Conductor: Robert Kružík

Director: Jiří Heřman

Scéna: Dragan Stojčevski

Kostýmy: Alexandra Grusková

Dramaturge: Patricie Částková

Choirmasters: Pavel Koňárek, Michal Vajda, Valeria Maťašová

Movement Collaboration: Kateřina Nováčková

________________________

Manolios: Harold Meers

Kateřina: Pavla Vykopalová

Priest Grigoris: Jan Šťáva

Priest Fotis: David Szendiuch

Jannakos: Ondřej Koplík

Kostandis: Roman Hoza

Lenio: Andrea Široká

Panait: Petr Levíček

Ladas: Robert Musialek

An old man: Josef Škarka j. h.

The Patriacheas: Petr Karas

Michelis: Dušan Růžička

Andonis: Vít Nosek

An old woman: Jitka Zerhauová

Nikolios: Tadeáš Hoza j. h.

Despinio: Tereza Kyzlinková

little Manolios: Boris Trhlík, Kryštof Cholava

Jiří Heřman

The post 7. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
The Greek Passion – Bohuslav Martinů appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

5. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled] The Greek Passion – Bohuslav Martinů, premiere

Leoš Janáček — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 19:00:42 +0000

5. 11. 2021, 7 pm

National Theatre Brno’s Janáček Opera

Author:	Bohuslav Martinů
Conductor:	Robert Kružík
Director:	Jiří Heřman

Coming soon

SYNOPSIS

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

OPERA CAST LISTS

Author: Bohuslav Martinů

Conductor: Robert Kružík

Director: Jiří Heřman

Scéna: Dragan Stojčevski

Kostýmy: Alexandra Grusková

Dramaturge: Patricie Částková

Choirmasters: Pavel Koňárek, Michal Vajda, Valeria Maťašová

Movement Collaboration: Kateřina Nováčková

________________________

Manolios: Harold Meers

Kateřina: Pavla Vykopalová

Priest Grigoris: Jan Šťáva

Priest Fotis: David Szendiuch

Jannakos: Ondřej Koplík

Kostandis: Roman Hoza

Lenio: Andrea Široká

Panait: Petr Levíček

Ladas: Robert Musialek

An old man: Josef Škarka j. h.

The Patriacheas: Petr Karas

Michelis: Dušan Růžička

Andonis: Vít Nosek

An old woman: Jitka Zerhauová

Nikolios: Tadeáš Hoza j. h.

Despinio: Tereza Kyzlinková

little Manolios: Boris Trhlík, Kryštof Cholava

Jiří Heřman

The post 5. 11. 2021 [Rescheduled]
The Greek Passion – Bohuslav Martinů, premiere appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

21. 10. 2021 [Rescheduled] Brno Children’s Choir

Leoš Janáček — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:00:54 +0000

21. 10. 2021, 7 pm

Mozart Hall, Reduta Theatre

Brno Children’s Choir

Choirmaster: Valeria Maťašová

Buy tickets

CAST LIST

Leoš Janáček (1854–1928): Nursery Rhymes:

Piano – Galina Alechkevitch

Tenor – Ondřej Koplik

Tenor, bass – Ensemble Frizzante

Flute – Eliška Honková, František Kantor

Clarinet – Emil Drápela, Stanislav Pavlíček

Bassoon – Dušan Drápela, Jiří Jakubec

Percussion – Martin Opršál

Contrabass – Miloslav Raisigl

Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959): The Opening of the Wells:

Baritone – Jiří Hájek

Soprano – Andrea Široká

Reciter – Vladimír Javorský

Mezzosoprano – Jana Hrochová

Violin – Pavel Wallinger, Jan Vašta

Viola – Jan Řezníček

Leoš Janáček (1854–1928): Nursery Rhymes, JW V/7 – for 9 voices and 10 instrumentalists

Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959): The Opening of the Wells, H 354

Cantata for soloists, reciter, female or children´s choir and a chamber ensemble

Hans Krása (1899–1944): Brundibár

Children´s opera in two acts with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister

Janáček´s playful Nursery Rhymes from 1925 is one of his few compositions that will also appeal to younger listeners. He found inspiration (as he had many times before) in the Lidové noviny newspaper, where nursery rhymes with cheerful drawings by Josef Lada, Ondřej Sekora and Jan Hála were published. Janáček had a whole collection of them at home. He chose eight of them and composed a cycle of compositions for 3 mezzo-sopranos, clarinet, piano and a children´s drum. The premiere took place in the hall of the Besední dům in Brno on 26^th October 1925, and it was a great success. One year later, the composer extended the Nursery Rhymes to contain ten more items. Moreover, he added other voices and instruments to the score and framed them with a short overture and a finale. It is interesting that Janáček wanted colour images to be projected while the composition was being performed but the technology available at the time was insufficient for the execution of his vision. Josef Lada fulfilled Janáček´s wish much later, in 1948, when he made a cartoon based on the Nursery Rhymes together with the director Eduard Hofman. It was Lada´s first experience with animated films. At the concert, Nursery Rhymes will be accompanied by the original film.

The Opening of the Wells is probably the most famous work by Bohuslav Martinů. This is probably due to the artist´s intimate confession of his loneliness and unfulfilled desire to return home, which was denied to him by the Communist regime. It is not surprising that this native of Vysočina longed so much for his home when his last visit to his homeland had taken place in 1938. Perhaps that is why he responded so positively to the text by Miroslav Bureš, a native of Polička, and in 1955 composed this fragile chamber cantata which conveys the listener back to an ancient ritual for welcoming the spring. In Martinů´s work, this custom is intertwined with the wisdom of old age and an understanding of the fate which has awaited all humans for generations untold.

This edition of the festival will once again commemorate a work intended for children who were deported to the Terezín Ghetto during World War II. This time, it will probably be the most famous piece connected with Terezín, the children´s opera Brundibár composed by Hans Krása with a text by Adolf Hoffmeister. The opera was originally created for a competition organized in 1938 by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Education. Unfortunately, the events of history unfolded differently and the competition was not evaluated. In 1944, the director of the Prague Jewish orphanage, Otto Freudenfeld, decided to perform the opera. However, the composer himself didn´t take part in the production as he had already been deported to Terezín. Subsequently, Freudenfeld also went to Terezín and he managed to smuggle the piano abstract from the opera into the camp. Krása re-instrumented it again and the famous premiere took place on 23^rd September 1943 in the Magdeburg barracks hall. The opera Brundibár, which is about an oppressor who is defeated by the joint forces of children and animals, gave the audience and the child performers from Terezín a chance to forget for just a moment the horrific world that surrounded them. Needless to say, many of the performers didn´t live to see the end of the war, just like the author of the opera himself, Hans Krása, who was murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp in October 1944.

Author: Jiří Zahrádka

The post 21. 10. 2021 [Rescheduled]
Brno Children’s Choir appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.

28. 9. 2021 [Rescheduled] Church songs from Znorovy (folklore concert)

Leoš Janáček — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 15:57:36 +0000

28. 9. 2021, 7 pm

The Red Church (Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren of Jan Amos Comenius)

Church songs from Znorovy (a premiere of a folk concert programme for the festival), Magdalena Múčková and the Danaj dulcimer band

Buy tickets

An integral part of Janáček´s interests was the support and collection of songs that I call sacred, popular or folk spiritual. Janáček chose to collaborate with (among other people) Hynek Bím in his research into folk songs. Bím’s task was to map western Moravia, and it was Bím who got hold of a collection of old church songs during his repeated collections in the village of Vnorovy. He paid a lot of attention to them despite the fact that they were only a small part of the total number of songs he recorded (as evidenced by the sixteen letters of correspondence between him and Janáček in which he deals with this topic). After all, it was in Vnorovy that Janáček found refuge with his uncle Jan Janáček (who worked as a pastor there from 1870-1878) after his father’s untimely death in 1866. He probably got to know the local spiritual songs in person, as he played the organ at the Vnorovy church gallery during his time there.

The focus of the songs is directly linked to the church year. Some of them can be found in the hymn book Slavíček rájský by Jan Josef Božan from 1719, which was the basic comparative material still used at the Vnorovy parish church services at the time of collection in 1911. Bím wrote down (and partially also recorded on a phonograph) songs for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and the celebration of the saints, as well as songs whose content is related to events in Christian life.

The programme “Church songs from Vnorovy” will, at least partially, reveal this still undiscovered pearl of folk music culture which until now has remained off the radar for folk music lovers. The selection of songs will allow us to look back one hundred years at a repertoire deeply rooted in the musical and pious environment of this village in the Slovácko region. A more intimate environment would be suitable for the programme, preferably a religious one. Selected singing soloists, as well as choirs from Vnorovy and its surroundings, perform with an organ, chamber instrument or a capella accompaniment. It might be worth considering making a recording of this exceptional occasion…

Author: Magdalena Múčková

The post 28. 9. 2021 [Rescheduled]
Church songs from Znorovy (folklore concert) appeared first on FESTIVAL JANÁČEK BRNO 2020.