Epoque and PRSO are close to one another
Four musicians who emanate joy, virtuosity and a taste for experimentation and “cutting loose” – that’s the Epoque Quartet.
You will be familiar with three of its members as outstanding players with the PRSO. We spoke with violinist Vladimír Klánský in connection with a concert at the Municipal House on 1 February.
This interview was conducted for the Radioraport section of the weekly Týdeník Rozhlas in connection with a Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra concert at the Rudolfinum’s Dvořák Hall on Monday 18 January.
You’re going to play several new pieces for season-ticket holders and PRSO guests at the Smetana Hall. Could you introduce them?
You can look forward to three world premieres written by long-standing friends and colleagues of ours, wonderful composers, for that evening. The first new piece will be the Gypsy Overture by Petr Wajsar, which was inspired by the experience of a half-day’s stay in Košice including a bike tour through the Luník IX housing estate. Martin Kumžák has said of his composition Helix: “The helix – a never-ending spiral curve of experiences and impressions that cut into my soul like a self-tapping screw into wood…
The sap that the wood exudes during this action is a gallery of feelings, often in the form of music…” Perhaps some of our listeners know Jan Kučera’s Origin in the original quartet version; this time, however, it will be performed in a new symphonic-quartet form. Also new will be three arrangements of Dan Bárta’s songs by Filip Jelínek for unorthodox line-up – vocal, string quartet and symphony orchestra.
The public’s anticipation will no doubt be especially focused on Dan Bárta. Have you done many joint projects?
We’ve been working with Dan and Illustratosphere since 2011. They first contacted us because of a concert in Slovakia but we realised during rehearsals that all of us enjoyed linking up and that it’d be a pity not to carry on. In the end we played a series of concerts together in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and we look back on all of them fondly. This time the PRSO is replacing Illustratosphere.
The conductor and composer Jan Kučera is linked to EQ by long-standing friendship. Are any joint projects currently taking shape on the horizon?
I’ve known Jan since the Conservatory, where along with our quartet’s cellist Vít Petrášek we premiered his early works. Later Jan began writing arrangements and compositions for the Epoque and in recent times there haven’t been many concerts of ours in which at least one Kučera hasn’t played. Lately we were recapitulating how many pieces by him we have and had the idea that we could record a joint CD, something like Epoque Plays Kučera. Hopefully it’ll work out!
Do you regard the combination of playing in a symphony orchestra and an ensemble like the Epoque as an optimal, happy one?
In essence, yes. Though we have rather broad musical scope with the Epoque, I’m glad that as well as chamber quartet music I also have the opportunity to play the symphonies that I’ve listened to since childhood. What’s more, as a member of such a high-quality symphony. I suppose it’s only demanding in terms of time, sometimes.
In any case, cruising on the waters of several musical genres demands considerable perspective, knowledge, ability, experience, fervour and interest. Do you also have time in life for anything very far removed from music, or with you do all roads (and conversations) come back to the language of tones?
I have a whole range of non-musical pleasures, such as good food, good drinks… And also I really enjoy travelling.
