Tue, 28. 1. 2020, 7.00 p.m.

K2 INDI STIVÍN & ALICE SPRINGS

Venue: Zlín Congress Centre  |  Organizer: Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, o.p.s.  | 

"For my recital I've chosen my favourite pieces," Indi Stivín writes. "They're a selection of works from the last 300 years of music. I've arranged Henry Eccles's Baroque sonata to bring out the beauty of the solo double bass in the sense that after the composer's original themes in the reprise sections, I go on to develop my own inventions and that, I believe, is the whole point of reprises in a composition. The Romantic section of the concert features a work by Reinhold Glière with its breathtaking instrumental passage in the Intermezzo which is then developed in the central section of the sparkling Tarantella.

"I find the Sonata 1963 piece by Frank Proto, the contemporary composer who lives in New York, very inspirational and I'm very fond of it," Stivín continues. "It allows me to demonstrate the versatility of the double bass. Each section is original and could actually stand as a composition in its own right.

"My Bohemian Suite has five movements," Stivín explains. "It's a view of our country through my eyes across the centuries.The first movement, 'The Celts', takes us back to the very beginnings of our culture, which are still something of a mystery for us today.

"I present the life of the Celts in our region as tough but natural, with a melodic theme that is clear to the point of being strident," he continues. "The second movement, 'The Czech Lands', then brings us to our native country environment as we know it today, telling of the pleasing and welcoming countryside, forest and meadows - of what we call home. But this radiant movement also has its moments of drama too. The third movement, 'Tarantella Praga' is a high-spirited piece I wrote especially for the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 competition. It's about student life full of amusement and joy. The fourth movement, '1938', is the very antithesis of the third. The clue is in the title, as it shifts to one of the saddest years of our history, presaging the most tragic events of mankind as a whole. But tragedy is not the be-all and end-all of this movement, which expresses a call for help, a sense of betrayal, and grief.

"I composed the final movement, 'The Slavs', in a kind of combative spirit," Stivín writes.

"After the previous sections, the fifth movement sends people the much-needed energy to stand up for our small country, which has thousands of hidden treasures. It's about coming together, being strong and resolute, about believing, and brotherhood. But the greatest value upheld in this movement is freedom, which is worth living for," he concludes.