Štěpánka Andělová – oboe
Gabriela Matoušková – clarinet
Adam Plšek - bassoon
Bohumil Bondarenko – viola
Pavol Praženica – piano
Benjamin Britten - Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for Oboe Solo, Op. 49 (selection)
Pan (No. 1)
Niobe (No. 3)
Bacchus (No. 4)
Clara Schumann - Three Romances for Oboe and Piano, Op. 22
Andante molto
Allegretto. Mit zartem Vortrage
Leidenschaftlich schnell
Hugo Kauder - Trio in D minor for Oboe, Viola and Piano
Ruhig, fliessend
Intermezzo
Ruhig und schlicht, wie eine Volksweise
intermission
Bohuslav Martinů - Four Madrigals for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon
Allegro moderato
Lento
Poco allegretto
Poco allegro
Pavel Haas - Suite for Oboe and Piano, Op. 17
Furioso
Con fuoco
Moderato
"Pan, when he thought that he had caught Syrinx, held in his arms instead of the nymph’s body only reeds from the marsh; and while he sighed into them, the air moving through the stems produced a thin sound, so like a mournful lamentation; moved by this new art and sweet sound, the woodland god was enchanted... And so when he had joined seven unequal reeds together with wax, there arose the pipe, syrinx, which took its name from the maiden." Thus ends, in Ivan Bureš’s 1974 translation, the tale of the enamored god Pan and the nymph Syrinx from the Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC – 17 AD). This excerpt may also serve as a motto for today’s program, in which reed woodwind instruments will play a prominent role.
Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) created his Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for oboe solo in 1951 for the oboist Joy Boughton, daughter of the composer’s friend Rutland Boughton, who was also a composer. They were premiered on June 14, 1951, at the Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk. Founded in 1948 by Britten and his partner Peter Pears, the festival continues to this day and is associated with the premieres of numerous new works. The first movement, Pan, symbolizes the birth of music as a spontaneous expression of a soul in love, of loss, and disappointment. Proud Niobe, mother of seven sons and seven daughters, felt superior to Leto, who had borne only two children—Apollo and Artemis. Avenging the insult to their mother, Leto’s children slew Niobe’s offspring. In her grief over the loss of her children, Niobe was transformed into stone. Far more joyful is attending the feast hosted by Bacchus, god of wine and revelry (as well as agriculture and fertility).
Clara Schumann (1819–1896), a highly acclaimed pianist throughout the 19th century, must have been an extraordinary woman. A mother of eight children and the devoted wife of a composer who eventually succumbed to mental illness, she managed not only to combine a rich concert career with caring for her family, but also composed herself, leaving behind a number of remarkable works. In 1850, Robert Schumann was appointed Municipal Music Director in Düsseldorf, where the family relocated. For Clara, her husband’s position brought no relief, as her diary reveals: "Deficiencies are apparent everywhere, the choral society is falling apart, no enthusiasm, no love for the cause..." Yet shortly thereafter she also wrote: "How happy a woman I am among millions of others, and I often ask heaven whether this happiness is not too great. What are all the dark sides that material life brings with it compared to the joys and moments of bliss that I experience with the love and works of my Robert..." Clara makes no mention of her own works. It was during one of these happy moments in 1853 that her Three Romances must have been composed, originally for violin and piano, dedicated to the family friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, with whom she performed them on joint concert tours. The piano part—particularly demanding in the final romance—gives a clear impression of the composer’s pianist mastery.
Hugo Kauder (1888–1972) was born in Tovačov into the family of a teacher from whom he received his initial musical training. In 1905, he moved to Vienna to study at the University of Technology, but abandoned his studies to dedicate himself to music. He served as a violist in the Tonkünstler Orchestra (Tonkünstler-Orchester), co-founded by Oskar Nedbal, played in the Gottesmann Quartet, and worked as a music publicist. Following the annexation of Austria by Hitler’s Germany in 1938, he managed to escape in time to the Netherlands and, via England, reached the United States, where he taught at a music school and worked as a music critic. Hugo Kauder left behind around two hundred works. The Trio in D minor for Oboe, Viola and Piano was composed in 1916. The first movement is opened by the viola—Kauder’s own instrument—with the remaining instruments joining seamlessly, as suggested by the performance instruction. The Intermezzo movement gives all instruments an opportunity to introduce themselves. The final movement opens with an oboe solo; following a more lively central section, the work closes with a calm coda. The composer also permitted the work to be performed with a violin instead of an oboe.
Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) began composing the Four Madrigals for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon in late 1937 in Nice for the ensemble Trio d'anches de Paris (Paris Reed Trio) and completed them there on New Year’s Day 1938. This is the first instance of the word "madrigal"—borrowed from Renaissance vocal music—appearing in the title of a work by Martinů. The composer employed a linearity of seemingly independently led voices, yet the piece retains the classical sonata structure with fast outer movements, a slow second movement, and a scherzo as the third movement. Martinů utilizes imitative techniques, with freely led voices occasionally sharpening into dissonances. The final movement allows the performers to demonstrate full virtuosity.
Pavel Haas (1899–1944), a student of Leoš Janáček at the master class of the Brno Conservatory, developed a distinctive musical language in the mid-1930s, the pinnacle of which was the opera The Charlatan (Šarlatán), premiered at the Regional Theatre in Brno on April 2, 1938, under the looming shadow of impending catastrophe. In January 1939, a composition by Haas was broadcast on the radio for the last time. Following shattered hopes of escaping occupied Czechoslovakia, a period of waiting ensued during which Haas worked on a symphony that remained a fragment. On December 2, 1941, Pavel Haas was transported to Terezín; his life ended in the gas chamber at Auschwitz. During this time of uncertainty and waiting, he composed the Suite for Oboe and Piano, which Haas’s biographer Lubomír Peduzzi considered preparation for a larger work, likely a vocal piece with orchestra that he was never able to create. Haas incorporated prominent musical quotes—the St. Wenceslas Choral and a Hussite hymn—as a symbol, a protest, and an affirmation of allegiance to the Czech nation. The opening of the first movement also references Haas’s setting of Psalm 29 from 1932, while the opening of the second movement recalls the final scene of the opera The Charlatan. In this movement, a fragment of the St. Wenceslas Choral is quoted to the words "pray to God for us." In September 1939, Hitler’s army invaded Poland, which fell on October 4. The completion of the second movement of the Suite is dated to that day, and on the same day Pavel Haas began writing out the third movement, prefaced by a quotation from the chorale. The composition was finished on October 28, but the composer left it as a sketch rather than a fair copy and without an opus number. The opus number was assigned posthumously in chronological order.
Štěpánka Andělová is a prominent young Czech oboist. She studied at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne under Jean Louis Capezzali and is currently continuing her studies at one of the world's most prestigious institutions, the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, in the class of Prof. Dominik Wollenweber (member of the Berlin Philharmonic). She honed her orchestral practice in the Orchestral Academy of the Czech Philharmonic, performed with the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg, and was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra. Currently, she is a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the Orchestra of the National Theatre in Prague. A highly prestigious opportunity attesting to her extraordinary qualities arose when she was called upon with only a few hours' notice to step into a Berlin Philharmonic project and perform Mahler's Tenth Symphony alongside them. As a soloist, she has won numerous awards in Czech and international competitions. In addition, she has performed as a soloist with Czech and international orchestras, such as the Hradec Králové Philharmonic, the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Mariánské Lázně, and the Subcarpathian Philharmonic in Rzeszów. Her playing is acclaimed for technical precision combined with profound musicality.
Pavol Praženica is among the most prominent young pianists of his generation. He has been playing the piano since the age of five, studied at the Gymnasium and Music School of the City of Prague under Libuše Tichá, and is currently continuing his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Ivo Kahánek. He is a laureate of numerous prestigious national and international competitions, including the Smetana Piano Competition, the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition, and the Elevato Competition in Porto.
As a soloist, he has performed with leading Czech orchestras, including the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, PKF – Prague Philharmonia, the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, and the Orchestra of the National Theatre. Alongside his solo career, he is intensively dedicated to chamber music, collaborating with leading Czech and international performers. Audiences and music critics alike praise his playing for exceptional technical poise, musicality, and interpretive maturity.
Gabriela Matoušková is among the most prominent young Czech clarinetists. She studied at the Prague Conservatory and the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris, and is currently continuing her studies at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne under Florent Héau. She is a laureate of numerous Czech and international competitions, including the Leoš Janáček International Competition, the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition, and Concertino Praga. As a soloist, she has collaborated with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, the Hradec Králové Philharmonic, and other orchestras. Beside her solo career, she is intensively devoted to chamber music. Her interpretation excels in technical brilliance, a refined tone, and expressive musicality.
Adam Plšek studied bassoon under P. Feldmann, L. Kořínek, O. Roskovec, and T. Františ, and further abroad under S. Azzolini, M. von Schönermark, and currently under M. Postinghel in Salzburg. He is a laureate of numerous Czech and international competitions, including being the winner of the Concertino Praga competition. As a soloist, he has performed with the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK and other Czech orchestras. Currently, he focuses on chamber and orchestral performance, primarily in Switzerland. During 2023 and 2024, he was a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester.
Bohumil Bondarenko is among the most prominent young Czech violists. He studied at the České Budějovice Conservatory and is currently continuing his studies at the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Prof. Jan Pěruška. He also gained study experience at universities in Vienna and Graz.
He is a laureate of several competitions and has performed as a soloist with the South Czech Philharmonic, among others. He is intensively dedicated to chamber music as a member of the Suk Quartet, with which he won 1st prize at the Talents for Europe competition and performed at festivals such as the Prague Spring, Concentus Moraviae, and Hamburg Kammermusikfest International. He is also a member of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
