Contact: zittacat@yahoo.co.uk
Antiquities 2008
Symfonietta Žilina orchestra conducted by Peter Breiner visited Prague on October 29, 2008 and featured programme consisting of the pieces by Slovak composers in Rudolfinum. Among them the Vladimír Godár’s composition Little Suite for Little David sounded, with soloists Stanislav Palúch (violin) and Michal Bugala (electric guitar), stand-in for Andrej Šeban (facing some health problems at present). The concert met with large response.
The Mater project is moving on by two concerts, on which the Solamente naturali ensemble led by Miloš Valent, and Bratislava Conservatory Choir prepared by Dušan Bill took part. Certainly, the soloist Iva Bittová was not missing. This time Stephen Stubbs held the baton. The concerts took place in Prievidza (Slovakia) and Fribourg (Switzerland) on July 9 and 11, 2008. More info on the Mater Project page.
The Klarisky Church concert hall welcomed the concerts of the Hommage a Bach 2008 project. On July 6, 2008 the baroque cello player Michal Sťahel displayed his artistry. The programme consisted of the works of older as well as contemporary composers (John Tavener, Domenico Gabrieli, Johann Sebastian Bach, Péteris Vasks). The cellist performed also the piece Passacaglia for cello solo by Vladimír Godár. Soft sound of the instrument, and particularly mastery of the cellist added some enchanting tone to the piece.
The successful collaboration of Vladimír Godár and Petra Noskaiová continues. This time they have prepared a concert with almost unknown songs by Slovak composers Ján Levoslav Bella, Alexander Albrecht, Dezider Kardoš, Martin Burlas and Vlado Godár. The concert took place on Sunday, June 8, 2008, 10.30 a.m. in Mirbach Palace in Bratislava.
The premiere of a new musico-dramatic poem Under the Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom with the music written by Vladimír Godár took place on Friday 23rd (the repeat on Saturday 24th) of May, 2008. Jozef Slovák wrote the libretto based on the novel by Ango Sakaguchi, the stage director is Maja Hriešik, the conductor Marián Vach. The work was performed by soloists, orchestra, choir and ballet of the State Opera in Banská Bystrica (www.stateopera.sk) and met with warm response of the public.
Under the Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom
Musico-dramatic poem after Ango Sakaguchi’s novel
Music: Vladimír Godár
Libretto: Jozef Slovák
Music study of the work, conductor: Marián Vach
Stage director: Maja Hriešik
Assistant director: Lenka Horinková
Dramaturgy: Alžbeta Lukáčová
Choreography: Stanislava Vlčeková
Scene: Jerguš Opršal
Costumes: Ján Kocman
Choirmaster: Ján Procházka
Cast
Bandit: Zoltán Vongrey (vocal), Michal Majer (dance)
Woman: Gabriela Chlpeková (vocal), Miroslava Peterská (dance)
Man: Ján Jamrich
Hobbling woman: Vladimíra Valentová
Orchestra, choir and ballet of the State Opera in Banská Bystrica
Premiere May 23, 2008
The photos are from the dress rehearsal and from the banquet after the premiere, on which also the visitors from Japan took part, Mr. Nadayuki Hasegawa, responsible for the commission of the work at the State Opera, the master of tea ceremony and ikebana art Norie Yoshimura and other guests of Banská Bystrica, who participated in the Days of Japan Culture. (www.stateopera.sk)
Le monde enchanté d’Arvo Pärt et Vladimir Godar
Festival International de Musiques Sacrées Fribourg has invited the
ensemble Solamente Naturali and Bratislava Conservatory Choir for a concert on
July 11, 2008, with the soloist Iva Bittová and the conductor Stephen
Stubbs. Besides Arvo Pärt’s music the visitors can listen to several
pieces from the CD Mater; Vladimír Godár has promised to prepare the
premiere of a new composition!
Following the successful premiere and performances in New York the project “Out of Place”, on which Iva Bittová and Wendy Osserman collaborate, was planned for Prague performance on June 13th and 14th, 2008. Unfortunately, due to some financial problems the Tanec Praha festival had to cancel several projects, the Wendy Osserman dancers performance among them.
The Slovak chamber Quasars Ensemble was invited to Krakow to participate on 20th Dni muzyki kompozytorów krakowskich, where it played some pieces from the concert which took place on 27th February 2008 in the Slovak Radio in Bratislava. Among other compositions also Ricercar per quattro stromenti by Vladimír Godár sounded. The concert closed the festival on May 18th, 2008.
“I was confronted with this music while I was writing the screenplay to the film, it was really a huge emotional attack, the work by Vladimír Godár is a homage to the vital constant power of motherhood, the story of the Christ’s mother is all mothers’ story, it is also a story of Mary from our tale. I am glad that Vladimír has allowed us to use his music ... the music points to the most important matters concerning our tale, to the deepness of the man-to-man’s love.” said a film director Bohdan Sláma who used parts of the music from the CD Mater in his latest film Country Teacher. The film was premiered on March 19, 2008 and since March 20 it can be seen in theaters in the Czech Republic.
CD Mater by Vladimír Godár occurs on a list of Amazon’s Best Classical and Instrumental of 2007 on the 10th place following the composers’ names like Golijov, Bach, Beethoven, Glass, Mahler, Handel or Shostakovich (www.amazon.com, Amazon’s Best Classical and Instrumental of 2007). Similarly, it is on the list of the best selling classical records on www.musicconnection.org.uk (Best selling records of 2007).
Iva Bittova... will perform with the Wendy
Osserman Dance Company in “Out of Place”, a collaborative work created
for and by her. Bittova will dance as well as provide the musical score for this
new evening length piece... Music will vary in style from classical to
avant-garde... Among the works in preparation are a solo by Wendy Osserman based
on Ecce Puer (It's a Boy), a poem by James Joyce, and a piece danced by
Justin Termullo to a Yiddish text that employs the sculptural qualities of Egon
Schiele. Both compositions were inspired by Bittova but written by Czech [sic!]
composer Vladimír Godar...
The event is presented by Wendy Osserman Dance Company in association
with the Czech Center, NY. Performances will be at Hudson Guild Theater, 441
West 26th Street, Manhattan March 26 to 30, 2008. Shows are 8:00 pm Wednesday
through Saturday and 3:00 pm Sunday.
(Sammy Condusta, Newsblaze.com, 2008, more info on
http://newsblaze.com/story/20080102170845jnyc.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html)
Trio of musicians Dalibor Karvay, violin, Jozef Lupták, cello and Daniel Buranovský, piano presented Slovak contemporary music at the XIX. Festival Internacional de Música de Morelia Miguel Bernal Jiménez in Mexico on 20th and 22nd November 2007. Next to pieces of other Slovak composers they performed also Talisman, nocturne for violin, cello and piano by Vladimír Godár.