The solo program of Ronald Šebesta, which is with its title making the interesting parallel with the world of Scotch whisky, will be dedicated to the music of 20th century and to the various aspects of the sounds of clarinet.

Program

Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) – Three pieces for clarinet solo
Giacinto Scelsi (1905 – 1988) – Ixor
Salvatore Sciarrino (1947) – Let me die before I wake
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928 – 2007) – In Freundschaft
Steve Reich (1936) – New York Counterpoint

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In the world of single malt scotch whisky there is possible to distinguish six regions of this unique phenomenon of Scottish culture. Each of region has its own whysky - representative, recognized as the model with the most typical features of single malt in the specific area. These representatives are together forming the category with the title „classic malts“. The title of the dramaturgy of today’s concert, as the selection of the time-tested pieces of the clarinet solo literature, is in this way a metaphor. The choice of the title is also an expression of my admiration towards the world of single malt whisky, in its multiplicity and stainless complexity…

Three pieces for clarinet solo are the first work of modern music for clarinet, unaccompanied by another instrument. Different expression of each part, thanks to the author’s master empathy to the sonic tool, as well as totally new idiomaticy of each one of them, are showing the composer with the Mozart’s talent, able to fill with virtuosity previously unattached compositional ideas in the first try.

Ixor of Giacinto Scelsi is a short demonstration of the mastery of the another great sonorist of the 20th century, strongly influenced by the introverted music of the buddhist monasteries.

Thirdly, is highly sonoristic song Let me die before I wake of Salvatore Sciarinno, representing the different characteristic types of the clarinet’s sonorism, with musically meaningful, purposeful used multiphonics technics, ie multisounds.

In Freundschaft of Karlheinz Stockhausen is clarinet’s „classic malt“ from the opposite site. It is about highly structural, masterpiece composition in the variation form. For the interpret it represents the question of the eventual adaptation of the sound field in that way, that it would not be incompatible with the aesthetic between strongly structured character of the songs and pastoral character of the clarinet’s sonic.

New York Counterpoint of Steve Reich is a projection of the composer’s repetitive language to the media of the clarinet’s sonic. The concept of the song for the ensemble of the instruments of the same group, contains potential pitfall for the listener’s attention fatigue from the unism of the used sonority. Reich, although using some idioms, did not avoid the connotations with jazz, and he is handling the song as a whole, with the development of its own structure, with typical ethos, which eventually dominates and is leaving strong impression.

Ronald Šebesta

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Recital is a part of the cycle Classical music in a non-classical way.

Entry: 4,00 / 3,00 € (adults / students)