Sensitivity, perception, interpretation ... all vital parts of contemporary music

“Even if my teacher explains it, I have my own interpretation,” says 12-year-old violinist Terezka Horáková. She’s just wowed the Lichtenstein Palace audience, performing the award-winning composition Blue: Innocent and Fragile with the Berg Orchestra.

Her violin teacher happens to also be the piece’s composer, Ondřej Štochl. He’s just earned the Berg Orchestra’s 10,000-Czech-crown NuBerg Award 2011 for the piece. We’re chatting with both the performer and the composer during the intermission.

Mr Štochl tells Opus Osm that although Terezka is a small, fragile-looking girl, “she’s very sensitive in the way she perceives things, but at the same time, paradoxically, also very strong inside.” Mr Štochl moves away, but the talented young violinist continues the conversation, sharing her interpretation of the piece: “To me the first part is like two friends who are fighting. They try to solve it, and then they finish the fight and finally communicate together and solve it.”

Terezka Horáková and part of The Berg Orchestra in performance, and composer Ondřej Štochl (tented fingers) in the front row

She doesn’t study contemporary music in her violin lessons, so she advises new listeners, “In the beginning you have to get used to it, but now I prefer it.” In the meantime, she’s continuing traditional violin studies – she’s on Bach now – and Mr Štochl’s piece is the only contemporary composition she plays.

You can get a quick taste of Terezka and the Berg Orchestra performing Blue: Innocent and Fragile March 5 by clicking on the line below, and hear the full composition on the Berg Orchestra’s website. -oo

Berg Orchestra, Blue Mar 5 2012

– Mary Matz, with Czech language interpreting by Marios Christou

A lively public discussion with the NuBerg candidates proves new music is popular for listeners of all ages.

The votes are in and tallied, and the winner is … new music! The contest for the Berg Orchestra’s annual NuBerg Award for new music is growing in popularity, garnering an 80% increase in votes over last year, according to Eva Kesslová, spokesperson for the Orchestra.

The winning compositions in this, the fifth year, are Blue – Innocent and Fragile by Ondřej Štochl, and music to accompany the silent film A Child of the Ghetto by Jan Dušek.

Mr Štochl was awarded the main, juried prize of 10,000 crowns, and Mr Dušek won the 5,000-crown award voted by members of the public. The other composers and their works were: Roman Pallas, Welcome Waltz; Jan Trojan, Dinner at the End of the World; Michal Nejtek, Heart in Darkness; and Jana Vöröšová, 4 Haiku.

The two winners will be recognized at a concert Mar 5, where they will perform their works.

Getting the Word into the Schools

Interestingly, the online voting was split nearly evenly between music fans over and under age 35. For the second time, Mrs Kesslová tells Opus Osm, the orchestra held their “NuBerg into Schools” program. Teachers were offered a list of suggested activities, games, and interesting facts to help them introduce new music in their classes.

Mrs Kesslová notes, “626 valid votes came from those sessions, together with almost 100 essays, reviews, or evaluations of new music by the kids. This reading is really great!”

Public voting was held Jan 1 – Feb 12, and this year participants could register their choices online, on paper, or at three interactive voting places, the Municipal Library of Prague, Archa Theatre, and The New Stage. At the vote stations, visitors could hear all six complete works and see a small photo exhibition featuring the composers.

The Berg Orchestra’s new season begins with the Mar 5 concert, and includes seven new commissions for young Czech composers and nine Czech premieres. — 00

– Mary Matz

Note: Click on this date, Nov 2 to read Opus Osm’sprevious article about Child of the Ghetto
Click on this date, Dec 8 to read our previous article about Blue: Innocent and Fragile

The Berg Orchestra’s new season opens with the concert Mar 5 at 7:30 pm at the Lichtenstein Palace.

Curious about new music? You're never too young (or too old) to learn, as Ema Vorošová discovers

You’re never too young to start enjoying music. Most people would agree with that.

But add “to start enjoying original, contemporary music” and people begin to squirm.

The Berg Orchestra is changing that, with their annual NuBerg Award recognizing local, original, contemporary music compositions commissioned by the orchestra. And we, the public – regular people – get to vote for the winner, now through Feb 12.

Even if some among us may think they don’t like contemporary music.

But The Berg is making it temptingly easy to vote. The ballot and the audio for all six entries is currently on The Berg Orchestra’s website and each composition can be listened to uncut. There are even listening docks around the city – at the Municipal Library, Archa Theatre, and The New Stage – where you can get details and also listen to the selections.

As Eva Kesslová, public relations director for The Berg Orchestra tells Opus Osm, “NuBerg is a great opportunity to sample new music without any risk — no pricey tickets, and the opportunity to switch to another work in case I don’t like the one I am listening to [on the website].”

The six candidate composers (plus Ema)

There are two prizes: 5,000 Czech crowns for the winner of the “public” vote, and 10,000 Czech crowns for the winner named by the “professional musicians” jury. Raffle winners from the public will receive prizes such concert and movie tickets, books, and CDs at the opening concert Mar 5.

Listening to the NuBerg candidates is a great way to learn about contemporary music – and how varied it is. This year’s entries offer something for everyone. Mrs Kesslová notes that at a discussion with some of the composers held recently at the Municipal Library, one man “told everybody that before he started going to our concerts, he thought contemporary music was horrible,” she says. Now he’s a subscriber to the Berg’s entire concert series.

She adds, “We’ve had many reactions like this: ‘I don’t care what names are on the program – and I don’t know them, anyway.

But I trust the orchestra.’”

You can’t get a better vote of confidence than that. — oo

– Mary Matz

The Berg Orchestra prepares to present some amazing revelations at their Dec 5 concert

Judging from the audience reaction, the Berg Orchestra continues to amaze and delight. And the concert conducted by Peter Vrábel Mon, Dec 5 is no exception.

The concert presented revelations from two contemporary Latvians and a Lithuanian – Peteris Vasks, Georgs Pelecis, and Juste Janulyte, respectively – to the City of a Hundred Spires, proving that the Baltic composers continue to provide “new” music that pricks up listeners’ ears.

However, native Czechs also provided some of the highlights of this concert at St Salvator church.

Ondřej Štochl unveiled his Blue – Innocent and Fragile in a world-premiere performance. For this piece, the orchestra spreads out, with one cello and two violins in the church apse to the left; a double bass and two violins in the apse on the right, and Mr Vrábel conducting from the center aisle, 30 feet back.

Tereza Horáková

Dressed in a knee-length, gathered-skirt black dress dappled with white stars, Tereza seems to be the midpoint connecting the musicians, the earth with the universe. Clearly a gifted young student with a great future, at the same time she has the kind of commanding face you’ve seen in an aristocratic 18th century painting – hair pulled back off a high forehead, penetrating eyes, thin lips in a full lower face holding the violin. All this picture is missing is the lacy cap to frame her ageless face.

A student of the composer, she began began playing the violin at age 6, and as Mr Štochl writes in the program notes, it wasn’t possible to instruct her with typical compositions for children, which would be contrary to the seriousness and sincerity this young musician is already able to so deeply feel.

Jan Mikušek

Mr Štochl represented the Czech Republic at the 2007 International Society of Contemporary Music World Music Days festival in Hong Kong, and his works are interpreted by a number of musicians and chamber groups at home and abroad. A graduate in viola and composition from the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts (HAMU), he is the artistic leader, dramaturgist, and viola player for the Convergence Ensemble.

Monday evening’s performance was capped by countertenor Jan Mikušek singing the soprano-pitch piece, Revelation, accompanied by the orchestra with Martin Levický on piano and Jan Vitinger on trumpet.

Mr Mikušek is well-qualified for the demanding task, having studied the cimbalom and conducting at the Brno Conservatory and HAMU, and appearing as a frequent guest singer at the National Theatre Opera.

His performance elicited not only vigorous applause from the audience, but also their shouts and cries of approval and delight. — oo

– Mary Matz