Days of Contemporary Music: week 4 and 5

Three concerts took place during the fourth week of the Days of Contemporary Music festival. All of them were held at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with fifteen of the twenty pieces presented enjoying their world premiere.

The program on November 21 consisted exclusively of chamber music. Pallets and Shading by Jiří Bezděk (*1961), performed by the renowned Jitka Hosprová (viola) and Ladislav Horák (accordion), was followed by Romana Schuldová’s (*1965) Piano Trio For Anežka (Martin Kos – violin, Hana Vítková – cello, Štěpán Kos ­– piano). The second half of the evening offered premieres of Luboš Sluka’s (*1928) Primavera played by the popular Vilém Veverka (oboe) and Kateřina Englichová (harp), Dialogue on W. Shakespeare’s Sonnets by Josef Marek (*1948) performed by Petr Stach (recitation), Markéta Cukrová (mezzosoprano) and Daniel Wiesner (piano) and String Quartet no. 5 by Jiří Teml (*1935) presented by the Sedlacek Quartet.

Archioni Plus chamber orchestra was playing on 23rd November. Conducted by Michal Macourek, they gave premiere to Jaromír Dadák’s (*1930) Homage to the Creators with Lumír Vaněk as a solo bassoonist as well as to Milan Jíra’s (*1935) Concerto Grosso in which the solo parts were played by Kateřina Macourková Hlaváčová (flute) and Božena Englerová (piano). After the break, the program was opened by Prague Tubopiccolarium, double-concerto for piccolo solo, tuba, strings and percussions by Ondřej Kukal (*1964). The author himself was conducting while Dana Hegerová (piccolo), Luděk Hradec (tuba) and Markéta Mazourová (percussions) were playing the solo parts. The concert was closed Pavel Hrabánek’s (*1946) Picnic with Mazourová on vibraphone and Hana Müllerová on harp and Michal Müller’s (*1956) Curved Mirrors with Jana Kopicová on oboe.

One day later, the pieces premiered included Konopa for female choir a capella by Jan Vičar (*1949) sung by Bubureza choir led by Miloslava Vítková, Small Pieces by Jan Kučera (*1977) for vibraphone (Mazourová again), Searching by Vojtěch Mojžíš (*1949) for horn (Monika Čeřovská) and piano (Jaroslav Šaroun), Three Characteristic Etudes by Milada Červenková (*1947) with Markéta Janáčková on piano and, last but not least, Vít Micka’s (*1935) Pastorale which was performed by the author himself on piano and Dorothea Chudá on oboe.

The final concert of the festival took place on 30th November. The pieces premiered included Crystals by Jitka Nečasová Nradelli (*1960, Tomáš Víšek – piano), Sonata per violoncello e pianoforte by Jiří Laburda (*1931, Petr Nouzovský – cello, Yukie Ichimura – piano), Two Allegrettos by Miroslav Kubička (*1951, Petr Budín – bassoon, Daniel Wiesner – piano), The Importunate G flat by Edvard Schiffauer (*1942, Alexandr Starý – piano) and Preludium, Fuga and Toccata by Ivan Zelenka (*1941, Petr Nouzovský – cello, Ladislav Horák – accordion).

 

21 November 2016, Gallery, HAMU

Jiří Bezděk: Pallets and Shading

Romana Schuldová: Piano Trio for Anežka

Luboš Sluka: Primavera (The Touches of Spring)

Josef Marek: Dialogue on W. Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Jiří Teml: String Quartet no. 5

 

23 November, Martinů Hall, HAMU

Jaromír Dadák: Homage to the Creators

Milan Jíra: Concerto grosso

Ondřej Kukal: Prague Tubopiccolarium

Pavel Hrabánek: Picnic

Michal Müller: Curced Mirrors

 

24 November, Gallery, HAMU

Jan Vičar: Konopa

Milan Kučera: Small Pieces

Vojtěch Mojžíš: Searching

Milada Červenková: Three Characteristic Etudes

Vít Micka: Pastorale

 

30. listopadu, Galerie HAMU

Jindra Nečasová Nardelli: Crystals

Jiří Laburda: Sonata per violoncello e pianoforte

Miroslav Kubička: Two Allegrettos

Edvard Schiffauer: The Importunate G flat

Ivan Zelenka: Preludium, Fuga and Toccata