Ensemble Opera Diversa put a distinctive "spin" on its last orchestral concert of the year. It took place on 26 November at the Alterna music club, which is more a rock, electronica and indie pop hangout than an artistic music venue. The pair of selected pieces consisting of Vojtěch Dlask's premièred work Querell Songs for soprano saxophone and strings and Miloslav Ištvan's Hard Blues for pop-baritone, soprano, reciter and chamber ensemble also reflected this. Naturally, it was Ištvan's Hard Blues that gave the evening its name - the clash of the artistic, composed and purposefully "artistic" world (not meant pejoratively) with authentic African-American musical expressions springing from the depths of the soul of a man tested by life formed as the centre of the evening. This was not merely a stylistic inspiration, but more thematic, which was also evident in the opening piece of the evening. This was the composition Querelle Songs, inspired by Jean Genet's novel, previously dedicated to Ensemble Opera Diversa, but this time in a new instrumentation.
Dlask's music likes to often combine contrasts and seemingly stark contradictions - it's not afraid to stick a spike of sarcastic grotesquerie into a gentle musical surface, cruelty in a gentle caress, or anger throbbing just beneath the surface of a smile. However, the reverse is also true. While other composers might offer nothing more than desolate depression, in Dlask there is a small smile. Whether he's being foxy, wistful, contemptuous, or genuinely cheerful, it doesn't really matter at this point. Where there's violence, the composer simultaneously softens the listener and his work, and especially where many would drown in defeatism, the composer offers cautious rays of hope. In short, Dlask's music is constantly grinning with mischief: at the listeners, the musicians and, finally, at the composer and itself.
This also goes for Querelle Songs, which the author has transcribed for soprano saxophone and strings from the original version for oboe and strings - premièred by Vilém Veverka and conducted by Robert Kružík. Although the main structure has four branches, the internal division of the individual parts corresponds to seven or eight smaller areas. From the first movement, divided into three subdivisions (Femme fatala, valse - choral - valse), it presents the genius of Dlask's musical language. Targeted work with established forms and the use of traditional compositional techniques in a new and fresh way, expressively, instrumentally or rhythmically. It is here that the composer's close links with musical theatre can be felt the most, as evident from the fact that he shapes the overall narrative of the work by techniques that are musically familiar to the audience. The first movement does so especially in the waltz sections, which are full of small but thoughtful and generally effective instrumental details. It's worth mentioning, for example, the charming strain of the unfinished saxophone melody, brought to an end after a fleeting moment by the viola, etc. It is also impressive how the entire string orchestra suddenly "stirs" with a typified waltz sound, which abruptly breaks up and takes flight into silence.
The whole work is also accompanied by a rhythmic subtlety, again characteristic of Dlask. What is highly impressive (in both compositional and interpretive terms) is a certain "disjointedness" in which the music unfolds in a standard way but leaves behind a certain echo, or rather imprint. This is the result of consistent work with polyrhythm, which forms the cornerstone of Querelle Songs and Dlask's music in general.
The third movement , "A smile can evoke fear...", is an ideal example of the composer's use of his "mischievous grin" - here, he combines the fragile, kind, cautious and shy with the bawdy, insolent, violent, cruel and confident. From an overall perspective, it is whipping up to a frenzy, which is suddenly cut off by a spectacular and vigorous gesture. The end of the work is at the same time a meditative dreamy reflection and a tongue stuck out at the listener - the composer's cynical mockery (meant in a good sense) is combined with a simple and truly pure confession... "I love you".
Musically, the performance by Ensemble Opera Diversa, led by main conductor Gabriela Tardonová, was nicely incisive and rhythmically tight. The ensemble was particularly impressive in the rhythmically tricky passages, which were surgically precise and percussive, or, on the contrary, freely reverberating in the polyrhythmical sections. The lyrical imitation between the solo viola played by David Křivský and the violin of concert master Barbara Tolarová at the beginning of the third movement was magical. One minor criticism might be the intonation, which was not always 100%, and which was slightly more obvious when using microphones than it would have been in a standard situation. This is, however, only a minor quibble, and really only applies to the first movement of the piece. Saxophonist Pavel Zlámal, the soloist of the piece, also gave an excellent performance, demonstrating an excellent feel for the emotional macaronic (the melodic one is mentioned in the preface by the author himself) of Dlask's music and was able to capture the wide range of expressions - often quite contradictory - that the score required of him.
If Dlask's music is more at ease in a music club than in a concert hall, then Miloslav Ištvan's Hard Blues is right at home there. Not only the theme, but the instrumentation too. In addition to strings and a trained soprano, the piece calls for pop-baritone, piano, saxophone, electric guitar and a solid battery of percussion. It could be said that although it's diametrically opposed to the first half of the evening, it shares with Querelle Songs that same sharp contrast in mood and style. While Dlask's composition, however, builds on the contrast of the immediate and the irrational (in the emotional sense, but also not entirely), Ištvan's Hard Blues parallels both musical styles - artistic music and blues - side by side, without really confronting them. It's therefore more of a gradual and rational contrast.
Ištvan's Hard Blues uses lyrics from African American folk poetry, most of which have also been set to music throughout the history of the blues, albeit in slightly modified form, as is typical of European folk music culture. The composition entrusts these lyrics exclusively to the pop-baritone, Aleš Janiga, while the coloratura sections, which sometimes complement and at others replace the singer's voice, are left to the soprano part, here performed by Jana Vondrů. The composition is characterised by a certain deconstruction of the musical material, which manifests itself primarily in the exposure of the vocal part, usually accompanied by only a very modest cast, and mostly rather rhythmic in origin. Conversely, the interludes or moments of connection between the two worlds bring in more expression from the strings.
Vocalist Aleš Janiga did a great job with the characteristic musical language of the blues (albeit stylized) and its presentation, although he tends to specialise more in an operatic repertoire. His phrasing and work with accents and tonality deserve praise, although his pronunciation or diction could be more laid back. It may sound counter-intuitive given what the listener and singer are used to in performance, but a little more "sloppiness" would probably feel more authentic in this context. Soprano Jana Vondrů was equally excellent, showing some dazzling work with dynamics and real flair in her overall coloratura expression. She was consistently attentive to following the context, which was most evident in following the "purpose" of her singing. Where she complemented Janiga, she matched the baritone's expression flawlessly, while where she was on her own, she went for a slightly more expressive and distinctive feel. The contrast was not great, but it gave plenty of room for expressive detail. The recitation by Aaron Collier was a special part that nicely enhanced the whole experience.
The instrumental staging of Hard blues was also good. There too, the rhythmic cohesion of the ensemble deserves praise. Considering the context and the venue, I hope no one will be offended if I add the banal "it just went well". Ensemble Opera Diversa has long been dedicated to promoting the work of Miloslav Ištvan. I dare say they hit the spot here too. The icing on the cake was the fact that the work itself had not been performed for decades: this makes its performance all the more meritorious.
In my opinion, the small, "diversionary" experiment of holding it in the Alterna club, not to mention the specific programme, paid off. At the same time, regular followers of the Ensemble Opera Diversa concert series as well as ordinary visitors to the music club had the chance to enjoy the music of Vojtěch Dlasek and Miloslav Ištvan. And if there's a better, more natural way to spread a positive attitude towards contemporary (or any) music among other potential listeners, one unencumbered by the elitism of classical music, I'd love to hear about it!
PROGRAMME:
Vojtěch Dlask: Querelle Songs for soprano saxophone and strings (2020/2024) PREMIÈRE
Miloslav Ištvan: Hard Blues for pop-baritone, soprano, reciter and chamber ensemble (1980)
PERFORMERS:
Pavel Zlámal - saxophone
Aleš Janiga - pop-baritone
Jana Vondrů - soprano
Aaron Collier - recitation
Ensemble Opera Diversa, orchestra leader Jan Bělohlávek
conducted by Gabriela Tardonová
26 November 2024, 7 p.m.,
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