Forfest 2006

Everyone who is interesting about contemporary compositional creation knows, that international Festival of contemporary arts with spiritual orientation FORFEST is held regularly since 1990 in the picturesque historical town Kromeriz. But not everyone knows that this event existed as an underground movement nonconforming-meetings of musicians and visual artists since 1980 called SEDANKY /English equivalent Get-together, Session/. The artists were coming together with their families / during communist period only family meetings were tolerate… /, they were playing new music works, made improvised exhibitions, held discussions about new visual subjects, recited new poems and philosophized. This kind of discussions substantially preceded today Colloquy Spiritual Streams in Contemporary Arts, which is held as a biennale in the framework of the main festival events. Cycle and content of questions, which are put down have a characteristic philosophical hidden meanings. Where are coming art with spiritual content and what would make visible? What we can actually consider as a spiritual art? Is not our too benevolent attitude about spiritual questions leading to blind track? Is not reason of our crisis situation our rigid and conservative attitude? We can also put question: is today epoch period of partial crises of art, belief and our ladder of value, or is it beginning of new epoch, which are promising new unusual bloom of spirit?

Also XVIIth Forfest, which was held in the dates 17-25 June 2006, was trying to answer these kinds of questions.

A diskutovali o otázkách stále kladených, stále nezodpovězených a možná i nezodpověditelných, na které nedala uspokojivou odpověď ještě žádná vědecká konference ani předchozích šestnáct ročníků Forfestu a jejich kolokvia. Jsou to otázky, které musí být neúnavně kladeny a na něž musí být neúnavně hledány odpovědi:

As each year there were predominantly musical events with accompaniment of visual arts.

Organizers planed a lot of multimedial performances in different localities of town Kromeriz. But everywhere-present financial problems reduced this original purpose. Among most appreciable loss was cancellation of participation by American performer Lewis Gesner, whose purposed project belonged to most interesting planned festival events.

Neither a whole dramaturgical offer was not so rich like in last years of festival: besides traditional afternoon and evening concerts there were this year no night concerts in 10.00 p.m. or even 12.00 p.m. During one day were held only three events, but a whole quality of festival was good, organizers earned from modest financial background maximum of artistic quality and variability.

But there is a question about future of festival – will it be possible to continue? Will be there necessity to reduce the number of projects, because of limited grant policy, which prefers less demanding festivals? Forfest a long ago already reached the position of important international festival of contemporary art. For this reason worries regarding about financial non-effectiveness have there no right place. However, it looks as a rather typical feature of not only Czech culture space of today: it staggers between idea of omnipotent economical experts, which claims possibility to implant market conditions to culture and artistic events, and pragmatical thinking of citizens whose feelings tells that it is not possible to resign to nature educational ability of culture and art.

On eternal questions mentioned above replied artistic convinced two compositions by Arvo Pärt „Kanon pokajanen“ a „Magnificat“, „Paths“, „Stream“ and other works by Daniel Kessner, Jan Vrkoc, Vladimir Koci / De Profundis /, Peter Graham / „Hommage a Edith Stein“/, Giamila Berré, Jan Grossmann /„Missa mussitata II“/.

Literally as a spiritual revelation sounded compositions „Stella matutina“ by Alois Pinos, “Restoration after last moment” by Fratisek Emmert, „Lunula“ by R. Vetrana or wonderful work by Austrian composer Peter Ablinger „Weiss“ for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello and piano in interpretation of ensemble Pierrot Lunaire Ensemble from Vienna. This Ablinger work amazed by a whole affinity, which was made by most refined timbres and absolute perfect work with intervals and silence. There were a moments, when I was sorry that today technique is still not able to record “absence of breathing” of audience.

Musically captivating, contemplative and convincing by intellectual and humanistic content were /e.g./ both compositions by Jiri Teml /„Trio eufonico“ and „Epigramy“/, works by Milan Slavicky /”Advance II” and “Invocation IV”/, Musical monologue „Diptych“ by Peter Pokorny, symphonic aquarelle “Sole Hope” by Ctirad Kohoutek, „Dinosaurus“ by A. Nordheim or „Trio giocoso“ by Ivan Kurz…. And it would by possible to name other compositions, whose list would be probably over size of this review, authors: H. H. Jablońsky, D. Tagliente, G. Bacewiczova, A. Parsch, Z. Bargielsky, G. F. Haas, K. Ruzickova, F. Paradis, V. Testa, F. Zabel, M. Mark, P. Zemek, percussionist and composer Tomas Ondrusek, J. Benes, V. Godár or works realized by Brno’s Choir VOX IUVENALIS - V. Miskinis, R. Toensing or P. Eben.

Festival was also crowned by some outstanding performances of interpreters: from soloists we must make a special reference about Daniel and Dolly Kessner from USA / alt flute, bass flute, piano and cembalo/, organist and composer Giamila Berré and saxophonist Vittoria Cerasa from Italy, accordionist Julie Hirzbergerova from Germany, pianist Elena Letnanova and violoncellist – performer Jozef Luptak from Slovak Republic, Poland organist Waclaw Golonka / which is living and teaching at Prague Academy/. From Czech artists we can name e.g. violinist Zdenka Vaculovicova, cembalist Ilona Trtkova or above mentioned percussionist Tomas Ondrusek.

From ensembles were introduced - in best light – Trio Eufonico and Ensemble MOENS from Prague, Ars Incognita under the baton of Emil Skotak and mixed choir VOX IUVENALIS from Brno with conductor Jan Ocetek and already mentioned Pierrot Lunaire Ensemble from Vienna.

Composition styles, methods and techniques presented in the framework of this year dramaturgy don’t have the same wideness, as we were witness during past years. A lot of works had been pronouncedly influenced by timbre music; a few compositions were on dodecaphonic, serial or aleatoric background. Some works has rooted from clear, unorganized atonality with central feeling. No small amount of presented music testified that author didn’t followed primarily only composition technique – is it all postmodernism?

During Wednesday author workshop introduced his work contemporary composer and music theoretician, emeritus Professor of Janacek Academy in Prague Ctirad Kohoutek. His afternoon lecture was interesting and enlightening as a reflection of Brno music life, Brno as a center of compositional and interpretational pioneer experiments during 60-80-ties of the 20th century of the Czechoslovakia of that time.

Besides already above-mentioned “Sole Hope” was presented /from CD record/ his perhaps most significant /important/ compositional visiting-card - sound picture for orchestra „Pantheon“.

Very interesting afternoon we experienced with Brno composer and music theoretician, Alois Pinos - Professor of Janacek Academy.

Ten u příležitosti jedné z vernisáží osvěžil posluchače vzpomínkami na týmovou skladatelskou práci v Brně od 60. let minulého století po současnost. Aby nezůstalo jen u vzpomínek, z nahrávky předvedl týmovou kompozici „Divertissement“ Aloise Piňose, Arnošta Parsche, Rudolfa Růžičky a Miloše Štědroně a poté skladbu založenou na technice koláže a montáže „Anály avantgardy dokořán aneb věc Cage“ skladatelské trojice Aloise Piňose, Ivo Medka a Miloše Štědroně. Její nepřetržitý tok inteligentních hudebních gagů a slovních hříček přiváděl posluchače k slzám smíchu.

Hudební festivalovou hostinu doplnily čtyři vernisáže výtvarných umělců. Významná slovenská akademická malířka Eva Trizuljaková se mj. systematicky věnuje variantnímu ztvárnění biblických témat a pravidelně publikuje úvahy o postmoderní společnosti. Vernisáže kroměřížských výtvarníků manželů Dočekalových, jinak předních restaurátorů, a Václava Vaculoviče zase postupně představily akvarely, lazurní mnohavrstevné abstraktní obrazy, velkoplátna, obrazy malované kombinovanou technikou na lepence, ale také drobné grafiky a další výtvarné objekty.

Jan Grossmann