XIIth FORFEST KROMERIZ first time in the 2lst century

ComposerUSA, Fall 2001

ComposerUSA reaclers may remember the article about Forfest IX by Daniel Kessner (Winter 1998-99). You may consider this a follow-up in which the continuing progress of Forfest is highlighted. The Artistic Initiative Kromeriz has been the organizing force behind this International Festival of Contemporary Arts with a Spiritual Orientation since its inception in 1990, held during the tast half of Jime cach year. The Festival takes place in Kromeriz, a beautifut town in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic, imbued with a rich history and a magnificent green landscape.

The twelfth festival took place over eight days, Sunday through Sunday: I 7 concerts of exclusively contemporary music, an International Colloquy ‘ Streams in Contemporary Arts, three sacred services with masses by contemporary Czech composers, and a presentation of works by composition students from American and Czech Universities. Three of the concerts were special marathons,‘ two beginning at 10 píti instead ofthe usual 8:00 time, and even one beginning at I 1:00. The night concerts in particular had their own superb intrinsic atmosphere, which can only be evoked on a mild night ofearly summer, when the music seems to be irnpersonalized and the silence of a small town is only interrupted by the screaming of peacocks.

I am glad to say that although increasing budget problems cause b great difficulties (e.g. one of the foreign artists‘ concerts had to be cancelled because their financial demands exceeded the Forfest resources), the repertory level remains as high as ever. The level of performance has been ever improving through the years. Indeed it looks as if outstanding Czech and foreign artists do not dare come and perform at Forfest unless they are well prepared. To name some of them: a highly capable young British pianist Andrew Zolinsky, the Ensemble Damian from the ancient town of Olomouc, two excellent and charming young instrumentalists, violinist Marie Gajdosova and cellist Pavel Sabacky from Brno, pianist and composer Eduard Spacil frorn Plzen, flutist Monika Streitova-Popelarova from Ostrava with young Slovak organist Marek Vrabel, the Ensemble Ars Cameralis with their artistic leader Lukas Matousek from Prague (who specializes in rnusic of l3th-lSth centuries as well as contemporary music), two extremely well prepared artists from Austria, baritone Gido Ebi and his incredibly sensitive accompanist Branko Czuberka, two hycly and outstanding Slovenian artists, violinists Volodja and Marina Horak, and a notable childrens choir, Permonik, with their director Eva Seinerová from the mining town of Karviná. The heart of Forfests concerts are those with a special focus, such as the works of a single composer or a single region. fis year there were four individual composer concerts, two concerts each shared by two composers and three programs which focused on particular countries or regions. Suffice it to mention the two most interesting foreign musicians presented: a French composer of Russian origin, Nicolas Zourabichvili de Pelken, and the American composer musicologist and conductor William Toutant.

Nicolas Zourabichvili de Pelken introduced five of his compositiOnS from 1975-89. While some of them still testified to his enthusiasm for avant-garde techniques of the tate ‘SOs to the ) beginning of the ‘lOs, others drew from post-aleatory procedures and timbres to jazz intonations, and to synthesis in general. Especially his orchestral composition Mzskheta (1976) was vez impressive with its intoxicaling orchestration, sense ofdetail and special constructiOn, and his String Quar:et No2 (1989) with perfect voice work in the first movement, and individually used non-traditional ways of playing colorful relief, and impulsiveness in the second movement. William Toutant captured our attention with his invention and excellent work in Peregrinations II (for double string orchestra, two wind quartets and two percussion), with playfulness, color and a delicately formed kinetic component in his more relaxed composition Bagatelle Í (for alto flute and marimba, 1993), or on the contrary with dramatic character and ostinato allegro in the third of his Four Characteristic Pieces (for clarinet, bassoon, and piano, 1992).

AIso remarkable was the evening dedicated to the chamber opera Coronide (Ensemble Damian with Tomas Hanzlik, director) by the 35 year old composer Vit Zouhar. He set to music a revised libretto of an unknown Kromeriz author (it may have been Father Arcad) and enhanced it with quotations from Metamorphoses by Ovid. Thus a new form emerged which integrates generic baroque and minirnalistic elements. The concert performance was complemented with costumes and ravishing gestures by the performers. The listeners received the performance with reaL enthusiasm.

Now I rnust mention two of the older generation composers who took part in authors concerts, and one of the younger generation. The former are Ilja Zeljenka from the Slovak Republic and Josef Rut from Prague, the latter Karel Simandl from Karlovy Vary. Ilja Zeljenka is known throughout Europe for his inventive and unequalled style of expression. A wide range of eXpressive means, vivid gradational waves, polystratification and intrinsic rnelody were seen in his Monodrama and Poemcz for solo violin and Violin Duets. Josef Rut is known not only for his compositions, hut for theoretical publications on twelve-tone music, bitonality, and the new diatonic system. Especially convincing were his Duo for violin and cello and Sonata for piano. From the younger generation, composer Karel Simandl‘s electro-acoustic composition Dreaming literally captivated the audience with ks interesting echo-phrases, in which structures combine and blend into a more complex whole.

A very interesting comparison indeed was offered by the concert of compositions by students at the Janacek Academy of Arts and California State University, Northridge. The orchestral composition Water by Darnon Kelliher surprised the audience with the amount of invention, elaborate work, and orchestrational skill. The second movernent of the String Quanet No.2, “Melancholy,“ by Jonathan Peters surprised too with passages of harsher timbre confronting parts of nearly classical settings by using collage technique. Of the compositions by Brno students, a live team production by Marketa Dvorakova and Jan Kavan FPOJ and Communication Problems literally brought down the house, and that above all due to a unique conceptiOn of great aleatoric and timbral music.

Among the concerts with a view to a national or regional rnusic, “Slovenian creation,“ “Cerman, Austrian and Czech modern organ music,“ and “Austrian and ltalian modem piano music,“ perhaps Jiri Laburda from Prague most st commarided our attention. One concert presented his work for baritone, two female voices and organ. No excesses, no “lS pour 1‘ art“ The flow of tones and voices passed quietly, humbly, in a purifying way. Quite interesting aiso was the probe into Slovenian composers‘ works. Although the compositions were somewhere between neoclassicism and even more moderate styles, all were composed with invention and skill, and of course rendered excellently.

In this article it is impossible to mention all outstanding compositions. However, I do wish to hiflhight one that literally dumbfounded me. It seemed symbolic and was very impressive when flutist Monika Streitova came down frorn the choir of St. Moritz church, and in front of the altar played Luminiscencia for solo flute by Petra Bachrata from the Slovak Republic. The sounding tones came as a revelation--mOdelled with delicate strokes, breathing, ethereal sonic facets with tones passing into ultradelicate harmonic tones, sometimes synchronized with vocal sounds from the perforrner, excellent sounds, sonomelody produced by the clicking of keys, etc. It may have been even thanks to the soloist that in the composition there appeared even that famous “sornething extra“ that can suddenly thrill the listeners, literally “lifting them from their chairs.“

This year‘s festival was obviously rich in spiritual experiences, which is, aSter al what Forfest is about.

 

JAN GROSSMANN
Musicologist, senior lecturer, Univ. of Ostrava, Czech Republic