Smetana: Ambassador of Czech Music

We are pleased to announce the Prague venue of the European tour of STRO.MY Ensemble called “Smetana: Ambassador of Czech Music”

Bedřich Smetana was not only a great Czech composer and teacher, but also an advocate for the music of others. He premiered and organized concerts and cultural evenings and supported his younger colleagues. We would love to follow up on this often overlooked legacy of Bedřich Smetana by creating a series of concerts dedicated to the work of young Czech composers linked by a common theme. We believe that this intangible contribution of Bedřich Smetana, i.e. the creation of a quality cultural background and environment for the healthy development of art, is no less important than the dissemination of his work itself. In the second half of the Year of Czech Music 2024, we are planning a series of concerts within the European continent. The compositions will be premiered in Szczecin, Warsaw, Paris, Belgrade, Berlin and finally in Prague.

As part of the project, we commissioned three young Czech composers – Jana Vöröšová, Mikuláš Tichý, and Jiří Trtík. These selected composers wrote three different compositions inspired by the life and work of Bedřich Smetana. The project will introduce young musical talents and support their work. Its main goal will be to bring Smetana’s life and work closer to the audience through contemporary musical language, to connect tradition with modernity or to combine classical music with new trends. The music of three young Czech composers will be heard in unique spaces, which will be highlighted by the lighting arrangement by Magdalena Klára Hůlová. The sounds of a new, innovative instrument, the Flux synthesizer, will be woven into the minimalistic texture of the compositions.

For our performances, we are looking for architecturally interesting spaces with a unique “genius loci”, which we will enrich with professional lighting design. We believe that the combination of music, architecture and lighting design will create a completely unique atmosphere and a strong sonic and visual audience experience.

PROGRAM:
Mikuláš Tichý – Restless Being
Jiří Trtík – Vltava (Recomposed)
Jana Vöröšová- E-from his life

STRO.MY Ensemble – performers

Marimba – Štěpán Hon
Piano (upright or grand piano) – Mikuláš Tichý, Jiří Trtík, Nina Honová
Housle/Viola – Amálie Dobšíková
Double Bass – Filip Doklanov
Flux (Synthesizer) – Jiří Trtík, Mikuláš Tichý
Conductor – Jiří Trtík

Light design – Magdalena Klára Hůlová

Partners: Czech Centres, Sound Czech, Institute of Arts – Theater Institute, SOMA Labs, PETROF, OSA

The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

The project is supported by the city ​​of Prague.

The project was supported by OSA.