Like last year, I decided to organise my four-day stay in Brno around a forgotten opera, in this case Haas\u2019 The Charlatan<\/em>. Pavel Haas is an exceptionally tragic figure, even in comparison with other modernists whose work has been recently presented in the Czech Republic and Germany as part of the huge \u201cMusica non grata\u201d project, which restores the memory of artists eradicated from musical life after the Nazis\u2019 rise to power. Born in 1899 in Brno, in a family of a Jewish shoemaker and owner of a thriving shoe workshop, Haas began his education with private piano lessons. At the age of fourteen he enrolled in the music school in the Besedn\u00ed d\u016fm and after the Great War continued his studies at the newly established Conservatoire. In 1920 he became a student at the master school of Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek, who would have a huge influence on his later oeuvre, although, according to Haas, his pedagogical methods left much to be desired.<\/p>\n After completing his studies Haas became a partner in his father\u2019s business, while pursuing a parallel career as a composer and critic. At that time he wrote a lot of music for the theatre and was increasingly toying with the idea of composing his own opera. The first attempts, for various reasons, failed (among the ideas that never materialised was The Dybbuk<\/em> based on the dramatic legend by S. An-sky). Haas got a second wind only in the 1930s, having established his reputation as a composer of film music. This time his choice was Josef Winckler\u2019s novel Doctor Eisenbart<\/em>, published in 1929, about an itinerant Bavarian barber from the turn of the eighteenth century, a real-life figure who made a fortune from shows featuring cataract removal and setting of broken bones, staged with a large troupe of musicians, acrobats and mimes.<\/p>\n The Charlatan<\/em>. <\/em>Pavol Kub\u00e1\u0148 as Pustrpalk. Photo: Marek Olbrzymek Seeking to have the novel adapted into a libretto, in 1933 Haas approached the author himself, who treated him kindly but with some reserve, aware of what cooperation with a Jewish composer could mean for both sides. Two years later, when the Nuremberg Race Laws came into force, Haas decided to cover up the source of his inspiration and draft the libretto himself, allegedly drawing on the medieval farce Masti\u010dk\u00e1\u0159<\/em> (Ointment Seller), from which he took the name of the main character, Pustrpalk. He set the action during the Thirty Years\u2019 War and prudently removed all references to the German reality from the text.<\/p>\n He submitted the score of \u0160arlat\u00e1n<\/em>, completed in June 1937, to the management of the Zemsk\u00e9 divadlo in Brno (another name for today\u2019s Mahen Theatre), which staged the opera \u2013 with great success \u2013 the following April. And then everything began to crumble. In March 1939 the Third Reich seized Czechoslovakia. Two years later Haas found himself in the Terezin concentration camp. In October 1944 he was transferred to Auschwitz along with another transport of prisoners and died in the gas chamber the same day. The family learned about the story of his death from Karel An\u010derl, who was miraculously escaped extermination. Yet the memory of Haas did not begin to be revived until the 1990s, after The Charlatan <\/em>was staged at the Wexford Festival.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s staging from the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava subtly draws on Franti\u0161ek Muzika\u2019s 1938 sets and highlights all the best features of the directorial craft of Ond\u0159ej Havelka, who skilfully weaves his way between the Czech avant-garde and bourgeois theatre, expressionism and folk tradition. The simple, multifunctional sets (Jakub Kopeck\u00fd) and colourful costumes, referring to various eras and conventions (Kate\u0159ina \u0160tefkov\u00e1), effectively outline the space of the drama and emphasise the nature of individual characters. They are the material of vulgar gags, at times turning into an effective tool of illusion (evocative shadow play behind a wooden structure covered by a semi-transparent screen). Havelka masterfully juggles elements of plebeian theatre \u2013 with all its coarseness and exaggerated acting gestures. Acrobats doing somersaults, cloth entrails pulled from the bodies of the quack\u2019s clients, two-legged horses without harnesses pulling an alcove transformed into a carriage \u2013 the dizzying pile-up of the absurd and the grotesque makes the tragedy of the finale, coming as suddenly as the Nazi darkness that was soon to envelop all of Europe, all the more powerful.<\/p>\n The Charlatan<\/em> is an opera of crowds, a feature that was perfectly captured by Jakub Klecker, a conductor with vast choral experience, who was in charge of the musical side of things. He sensed the inherent theatricality of Haas\u2019 score, composed \u2013 as in Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s works \u2013 of short musical ideas combined into coherent, larger systems, rhythmically expressive, with a melody based largely on modal material. Particularly worthy of note in the large solo cast were Pavol Kub\u00e1\u0148, singing the title role, an artist possessing a resonant baritone beautifully developed in the upper end of the scale; So\u0148a Godarsk\u00e1 as Amarantha, a singer with excellent acting skills and a rather sharp sounding but very expressive mezzo-soprano; and the bass-baritone Josef \u0160karka as the wistful old man Pavu\u010dina. A separate round of applause should be given to the chorus of the Ostrava company, superbly prepared by Jurij Galatenko.<\/p>\n The Cunning Little Vixen. <\/em>Doubravka Novotn\u00e1 in the title role. Photo: Marek Olbrzymek<\/p>\n The infectious enthusiasm of the Ostrava ensembles was also shared by the audience of The Cunning Little Vixen<\/em>, under the baton of the young Prague conductor Marek \u0160ediv\u00fd, who has held the musical directorship of the Moravian-Silesian Theatre for four seasons. The director of the new production is the Israeli-Dutch choreographer Itzik Galili, known for his witty and inventive, and yet compellingly lyrical, dance routines. His distinctive style \u2013 underpinned by Daniel Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s clear, very sparse sets and Simona Ryb\u00e1kov\u00e1\u2019s gorgeous costumes \u2013 worked well in Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s \u201cforest idyll\u201d. Despite the addition of a dozen or so dancers to the cast, stage movement did not dominate the other elements of the production. On the contrary: in the almost empty space illuminated by soft light Galili created an even more emphatic illusion of the magical atmosphere of the forest. Nor did his concept hamper the singers, who clearly enjoyed entering the world of this dancing tale. It\u2019s been a long time since heard such a fresh and sparkling interpretation of the title role \u2013 Doubravka Novotn\u00e1 is undoubtedly one of the most talented Czech sopranos of the younger generation, an artist who is versatile and, at the same time, has a rare ability to choose her repertoire wisely. I was a little bit disappointed by Martin Gurbal\u2019 as the Forester. Either he was out of shape that day or his bass is not quite open enough at the top for this essentially baritone part. On the other hand the baritone Boris Pr\u00fdgl was excellent in the bass role of Hara\u0161ta. But even so \u2013 also thanks to his superb acting \u2013 the show was stolen by Jan \u0160\u0165\u00e1va in the dual role of the Badger and the Parson: as the latter he rode around the stage on a kick scooter with a blue headlight in the shape of a large cross. It is also impossible not to mention the excellent child soloists, led by Roman Patrik Baro\u0161 in the role of Young Frog, a character that always moves me to tears in the finale, when he explains to the Forester that he has mistaken him for his grandfather. This time the circle of seasons closed more evocatively than usual \u2013 this was thanks to the Old Butterfly (Michal Bubl\u00edk) dying on the proscenium, slowly slipping away throughout the performance.<\/p>\n I arrived in Brno on the eve of the performance of The Charlatan<\/em> to finally hear Martin\u016f\u2019s Field Mass<\/em> live. And hear it I did: in a very good performance by the baritone Tade\u00e1\u0161 Hoza, the male part of the Gaudeamus Brno choir and Ensemble Opera Diversa conducted by Tom\u00e1\u0161 Krej\u010d\u00ed. However, the biggest discovery of the evening at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was for me Haas\u2019 Psalm 29<\/em> for organ, baritone, female choir and small orchestra \u2013 a dense and dark piece, combining inspirations from Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s Glagolitic Mass<\/em> and Honegger\u2019s \u201cpolyphonically complex\u201d counterpoint to references to early Baroque art of the fugue. Fifteen minutes of music that helped me delve deeper into the musical fabric of Haas\u2019 Charlatan<\/em> the following day.<\/p>\n Martin\u016f\u2019s Field Mass<\/em>\u00a0at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Tom\u00e1\u0161 Krej\u010d\u00ed and Tade\u00e1\u0161 Hoza). Photo: Marek Olbrzymek<\/p>\n And then understand that all of the festival concerts \u2013 including those seemingly less important \u2013 were programmed in a way that would place the patron\u2019s legacy in a broader context. An afternoon with the Brno Contemporary Orchestra, conducted by Pavel \u0160najdr, devoted to the music of local composers (primarily those from the generation born in the first decade of independence) made me aware not only of their complicated relationship with Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s legend, but also of their overwhelming influence on the artists of later generations. It is good to know that before Martin Smolka\u2019s 2004 Nagano<\/em>, a wickedly funny opera about Czech hockey players, came less elaborate but equally brilliant parodies of old musical conventions, like Josef Berg\u2019s absurdist micro-opera Sn\u00eddan\u011b na hrad\u011b \u0160lankenvald\u011b<\/em>, with the composer\u2019s own libretto based on a play by Mat\u011bj Kopeck\u00fd, a famous Czech puppeteer from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Once again I must praise Jan \u0160\u0165\u00e1va, the only singer among the actors in this gem, singing the role of the Villager, which Berg \u2013 to enhance the comic effect \u2013 composed in the classical Haydn style and to a German text at that.<\/p>\n What turned out to be a magnificent musical lecture on the diversity of approaches to arrangements of folk music in song was a recital by the soprano Simona \u0160aturov\u00e1 accompanied by Marek Koz\u00e1k at the piano \u2013 in the Tugendhat Villa designed by Mies van der Rohe, a dream venue for a performance of works by modernists (in addition to Jan\u00e1\u010dek, Eugen Suchon, B\u00e9la Bart\u00f3k and Klement Slavick\u00fd, among others). I am glad I went to the Reduta Theatre for a staged concert of folk music from the Moravian-Slovakian borderlands \u2013 performed by instrumentalists and singers from B\u0159ezov\u00e1, Str\u00e1n\u00ed and Lopen\u00edk, with commentary in the form of essays by Jan\u00e1\u010dek read by Vladim\u00edr Dosko\u010dil, an actor born in those parts. In fact, the only item on the programme that did not quite fit in for me with the perfectly thought-out concept of the festival was a recital by the bass-baritone Adam Plachetka and David \u0160vec (piano), promoting their album Evening Songs<\/em> for the Pentatone label. The songs by Smetana, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Suk and Fibich to poems from V\u00edt\u011bzslav H\u00e1lek\u2019s collection Ve\u010dern\u00ed p\u00edsn\u011b<\/em>, included in the album, were supplemented by the artists with Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Gypsy Melodies<\/em>, Op. 55, and \u2013 pushing it somewhat \u2013 a selection from Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s cycle On an Overgrown Path<\/em>. This, however, is a minor complaint. I was more worried by the fact that both artists failed to grasp the intimate acoustics of the Mahen Theatre and performed the whole thing in a manner more suited to, I would say, a concert or opera: Plachetka with the full volume of his healthy and booming voice, \u0160vec on the piano with the lid open. I left after their recital deafened by the excess of sound, but I fully understand the enthusiasm of the audience, who rarely has an opportunity to see in Brno one of the most highly regarded and internationally recognised Czech singers.<\/p>\n However, in the context of everything I heard and saw over just four days of the Biennial, it would be inappropriate to complain. I am already looking forward to another festival. And I still can\u2019t believe that so much was packed into this joyful, unassuming event without generating a sense of overkill.<\/p>\n Translated by: Anna Kijak<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" May Jan\u00e1\u010dek forgive me that once again I could go to Brno for just a few days of his Bienniale and, consequently, once again I faced the difficult decision what to choose from among the festival\u2019s offerings. Two years ago I couldn’t help marvelling how so many musical events could be packed into the festival … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-mangusta","4":"post-8478","6":"format-standard","7":"category-posts-in-english","8":"category-wedrowki-operowe"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8478"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8483,"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8478\/revisions\/8483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/atorod.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54126518829_c4eb9e19fe_c.jpg\")
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