Thu, 20. 1. 2022, 7.00 p.m.

C3 FIERY CLASSICS

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

Fiery Classics is a special project which brings together in a joint performance on one stage the unique Slovak group the Gypsy Devils and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra.

We start with some of the most popular tunes from the opera Carmen in an arrangement by the Gypsy Devils with their own variations, resulting in a novel and fascinating fusion of Bizet's music with other genres. The first half of the concert will be something like a musical duel, with the orchestra playing on equal terms with the Gypsy Devils, and not as a mere accompaniment. This concept of a musical "cut and thrust" between the two solo groups of musicians will make for a lively and vibrant evening enriched by the spellbinding virtuosity of the Gypsy Devils' artistry.

The opera Carmen is a timeless tale of unrequited love interwoven with Bizet's brilliant inclusion of Spanish and gypsy musical verve, but tonight's occasion brings a new dimension to Bizet's romantic creation with the masterful inclusion of elements of jazz, flamenco, ethno and gypsy music and more. Needless to say, there will also be vocals reflecting the character of Carmen, at once gentle yet also unbridled in her passion.

The second half of the concert features music from the world of pop, classical, film, folk and the world-ethno genre, including the wistful Slovak folk song Páslo dievča pávy (A Girl was Grazing Peacocks), Monti's popular Czardas, and themes from the Oscar-winning film Schindler's List.
Also worth noting is the ballad Homage to the Victims of the Holocaust, where music and vocals come together in a sensitive exploration of possibly the whole gamut of emotions associated with the Shoah.

Wielding the baton in our Fiery Classics concert with the Gypsy Devils and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic is the acclaimed Slovak conductor Adrián Kokoš, who works professionally with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.