STYLE

Jednou z hvězd, kterou Janáčkova

filharmonie Ostrava v poslední době

doprovázela, byla i Lisa Batiashvili.

Foto: Ivan Korč

Lisa Batiashvili was one of the stars

who the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra

accompanied recently.

Photo: Ivan Korč

Classical

Music Is

Certainly

Neither

Difficult

and Old,

Nor Boring

Did you know that the Ostrava

Symphony Orchestra, founded

in 1954, has been officially called

the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava since 12 October 1971? That

the orchestra, when founded, had

only 36 members? By the way,

today’s number is approaching

one hundred.

These are some of the interesting

details from the life of the Janáček

Philharmonic Orchestra, which

annually performs dozens of

attractive concerts with outstanding soloists and conductors.

From 2012, Mgr. Jan Žemla has

been responsible for their composition.

What do you consider the most important

factor to enjoy a fully-fledged experience

when listening to music?

First of all, it is important to have an open

mind and overcome the belief that classical

music is difficult, old and boring. Initial

motivation and an intuitive approach are

perhaps crucial. If a composition catches your

attention, you are automatically interested in

its story, its author, etc. One of the first pieces

that bewitched me personally was Piano

Concerto No. 3 by Sergey Rachmaninov, its

tremendous technical difficulty exceeding

the limits of understanding. The concert was

an important part of the movie “Shine“, and

the visual experience was also crucial for me

at that time. I started to ask, “Is it possible at

all for someone to compose music like this?”

Was Rachmaninov really such a phenomenal

pianist? How did he play? Are his other pieces

also so interesting and difficult?“ And trying

to find out more and more gets you trapped.

It does not mean that you have to leave the

world of your favourite popular music, which

can also be great. Classical music, however,

gives you a better insight and makes it easier

to distinguish quality from trash. I myself like

several rock bands too, some bordering on

heavy metal.

Classical music is currently not exactly considered mainstream. Why do you think it is?

I guess I would say that generally speaking

the things of the highest quality are rarely

part of mainstream. The difference with

classical music is that it is a kind of accessible

luxury. If you fall for this kind of music, I think

there is no way back. It becomes a lifelong

passion, your life gets another dimension.

Classical music is also very unconventional.

So if you want to be different, then listen and

try to understand it.

Text:

Janáčkova filharmonie Ostrava

POSITIV 2017/2018

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