Brno Contemporary Orchestra will celebrate the 150th birthday of the Besední dům

21 February 2023, 1:00
 Brno Contemporary Orchestra will celebrate the 150th birthday of the Besední dům

After a long time, the Brno Contemporary Orchestra returns to the Besední dům to celebrate its 150th birthday. For their 11th season, they have put together a special concert programme especially for the Besední dům. The upcoming concert, led by conductor Pavel Šnajdr, will feature three Czech and one world premiere.

Mirela Ivičević and the Yugoslav Partisans, Boris Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto, Graffiti by South Korean composer Unsuk Chin, and finally the world premiere of Vit Zouhar’s BCO commission PHAISTOS – a concert for fifteen warriors. Mirela Ivičević’s composition is a commemoration of the brave struggle of Yugoslav partisans against the fascist axis, during which the author’s grandfather also died. Boris Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto is a demonstration of the possibilities of virtuosity in contemporary music. One instrument, and the participants who complete its sound. The South Korean, Berlin-based composer Unsuk Chin dedicated her composition to the subversive Graffiti community, in its original and not yet commercialised meaning. At the end of the concert, a world premiere concert for fifteen members of the Brno Contemporary Orchestra will be performed by the leading Czech composer Vit Zouhar. The stage will be transformed into a fighting ring... The concert is announced for Monday 27 February at 7.30 pm in the Besední dům hall.

The Besední dům is the oldest creative centre in Brno, as various communities used to meet here and many volunteers participated in its operation. As part of sustainability, energy was saved and no cars were used. From the beginning, contemporary music was listened to, bestsellers were read and presented, and workshops and after parties were held. The food was seasonal, organic, local and fair trade. Good neighbourly relationships were built and most of the projects were educational and interactive and supported minorities. Every night there was a packed show with a chill out zone, a swap, a show case reading, an event, or a distinctive team building with an ambient backdrop for conversation. Technology aside, it was a very progressive, innovative, and inspiring space. We firmly believe that even today, 150 years after its opening, Besední dům still has a lot to offer. It is a place that shapes communities and social bubbles removed from the outside world. When you enter, you become part of something extraordinary, you become a participant and a member of the BCO community”, explains the concert’s dramaturg Viktor Pantůček.

Mirela Ivičević’s composition is a commemoration of the brave struggle of Yugoslav partisans against the fascist axis, during which the author’s grandfather also died. Boris Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto is a demonstration of the possibilities of virtuosity in contemporary music. One instrument, and the participants who complete its sound. The South Korean, Berlin-based composer Unsuk Chin dedicated her composition to the subversive Graffiti community, in its original and not yet commercialised meaning. At the end of the concert, a world premiere concert for fifteen members of the Brno Contemporary Orchestra will be performed by the leading Czech composer Vit Zouhar. The stage will be transformed into a fighting ring.

PROGRAMME

MUSIC GATHERING IN THE BESEDNÍ DŮM

Camaraderie, cooperation, subversion and a proper battle at the end

27 February 2023, Besední dům 7:30 pm

Mirela Ivičević – Case White

Boris Tchaikovsky – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

Unsuk Chin – Graffiti

Vít Zouhar – PHAISTOS – Concert for 15 Fighters (order BCO)

Stano Slavicek – piano

Brno Contemporary Orchestra/ Pavel Šnajdr – conductor

Photo BCO archive

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