On Thursday 24 March, a Brno audience experienced a truly special evening. Director Břetislav Rychlík and his wife prepared a concert on the music stage of the Brno Municipal Theatre in support of Ukrainian artists who fled their country to escape the war. The evening was entitled “Common Roots” and sought to closer acquaint the audience with the similarities between the folk cultures of Ukraine and Moravia. During the evening's program, I could feel the general musical parallels in particular. Exceptional artists are able to pass such beauty onwards anywhere in the world.
The programme was divided into two halves: the first was broadcast by Czech Television and the second by Czech Radio Brno. Unfortunately, the hall was not completely full, perhaps because some people took the opportunity to watch the concert from home. Those who could have come and didn't, however, truly missed out. The special atmosphere that overwhelmed everyone in the hall was something that TV and Radio couldn't possibly convey. At some moments, you could almost touch the power of unity in the hall.
The evening was introduced by the director Břetislav Rychlík with his Ukrainian colleague Mariana Kozak, who also translated. They worked well together, although some moments were pure improvisation. The programme was created spontaneously and quickly, and there was no time for long preparations. All the same, the professional skills of the performers let them pull it off seamlessly.
I had the impression that the creators of the show had chosen the performers by voice. Whether it was Hana Ulrychová, Petr Mička, or the main guest of the evening, Ukrainian singer Mariana Sadovská, their voices bore exceptional timbres. Even though the hall wasn't completely sold out, their more than two hours on stage gave goosebumps to everyone in the house.
The show was opened by the band Javory Beat, who performed together with Hradišťán in the second half, to the certain delight of the audience. The emotional and breath-taking performances of Mariana Sadovská, the vocal group Milánosz, and Bohdana Menšíková with her father Jura Petrů were interspersed with the light sounds of wild jazz and horn rhythms and the ever-improving verbal creations of Petr Mička and his music. They performed to the accompaniment of Jiří Hradil and Lesní zvěře. They also brought with them a Horňácko singer with a clear old-school voice, Anna Šajdlerová. I personally find that the folk song “Hora Milá Hora” to be the most successful fusion on the entire Hrubá hudba album, which the boys drew from on this Thursday evening.
What was truly memorable, however, was the end of the first part of the concert, entitled “Common Roots”. The Lemko folk song Plyve kača is part of Mariana Sadovská's repertoire. Most of the other performers joined her on stage for the occasion. The situation in Ukraine, highlighted by photos projected in the background, brought everything to such a strength that the entire hall stood up halfway through the song.
The ten seconds of silence after the song ended filled the room with an energy of solidarity. The tears that most of the audience couldn't hold back were not from emotion, but from a real sadness. I had never experienced anything like it before. It was a special moment, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it. Still, I hope it never has to happen again.
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