Pierre Boulez is behind many phenomena of post-war classical music. The eminent composer, conductor and founder of the French music research centre IRCAM was also behind the creation of the ensemble Les Percussions de Strasbourg. In 1959, in Strasbourg, he conducted his own composition Le Visage Nuptiel, with its heavy emphasis on percussion. In the orchestra, six percussionists from two orchestras met and, in preparation for the concert, had the idea: What if we started a six-piece ensemble consisting only of percussion instruments? Three years later, the ensemble presented itself to the public. 
 
The adventurous group of musicians, eager to explore the limits of what could be composed for a wide arsenal of percussion instruments, needed to build repertoire. By a happy coincidence, one of the first composers approached was the Czech composer Miloslav Kabeláč (1908-1979), and this was in 1962. At that time he wrote for them the Eight Inventions for Percussion, Op. 45, followed later by the Eight Ricercars and then the Eighth Symphony. Due to the unfavourable and depressing political situation in Czechoslovakia after 1969, Kabeláč heard only the Inventions. He was not allowed to attend the foreign premieres of the two older works and did not live to see the Czech ones. 
 
Among the other composers approached in the 1960s was Iannis Xenakis. Persephassa and Pléïades, which he composed for them, are among the most famous works for percussion instruments and ensured that Les Percussions de Strasbourg made their mark in world music history. Xenakis’ compositions for percussion are a constant in the ensemble’s repertoire to this day, including those originally written for other musicians. We present an example in the form of the compositions Rebond A and Rebond B for solo percussionist. 
 
In the more than 60 years of its existence, the ensemble has undergone several generational changes, and none of the original six are active in the ensemble anymore. There have also been generational changes in the vast array of composers who have been approached by the ensemble to create new works. Among these more than 350 works is the composition Fishbones, Fishbones, by Ondřej Adámek (1979). Written in 2007, the composer grapples – cynically and poetically – with the life of a fish from its free hatching in the ocean to its placement in a can. 

This year’s Music is festival will feature a masterclass led by Minh-Tâm Nguyen, artistic director of Les Percussions de Strasbourg.

Pierre Boulez is behind many phenomena of post-war classical music. The eminent composer, conductor and founder of the French music research centre IRCAM was also behind the creation of the ensemble Les Percussions de Strasbourg. In 1959, in Strasbourg, he conducted his own composition Le Visage Nuptiel, with its heavy emphasis on percussion. In the orchestra, six percussionists from two orchestras met and, in preparation for the concert, had the idea: What if we started a six-piece ensemble consisting only of percussion instruments? Three years later, the ensemble presented itself to the public.

The adventurous group of musicians, eager to explore the limits of what could be composed for a wide arsenal of percussion instruments, needed to build repertoire. By a happy coincidence, one of the first composers approached was the Czech composer Miloslav Kabeláč (1908-1979), and this was in 1962. At that time he wrote for them the Eight Inventions for Percussion, Op. 45, followed later by the Eight Ricercars and then the Eighth Symphony. Due to the unfavourable and depressing political situation in Czechoslovakia after 1969, Kabeláč heard only the Inventions. He was not allowed to attend the foreign premieres of the two older works and did not live to see the Czech ones.

Among the other composers approached in the 1960s was Iannis Xenakis. Persephassa and Pléïades, which he composed for them, are among the most famous works for percussion instruments and ensured that Les Percussions de Strasbourg made their mark in world music history. Xenakis’ compositions for percussion are a constant in the ensemble’s repertoire to this day, including those originally written for other musicians. We present an example in the form of the compositions Rebond A and Rebond B for solo percussionist.

In the more than 60 years of its existence, the ensemble has undergone several generational changes, and none of the original six are active in the ensemble anymore. There have also been generational changes in the vast array of composers who have been approached by the ensemble to create new works. Among these more than 350 works is the composition Fishbones, Fishbones, by Ondřej Adámek (1979). Written in 2007, the composer grapples – cynically and poetically – with the life of a fish from its free hatching in the ocean to its placement in a can. 

We are all familiar with the concept of old silent movies, with a pianist physically present in the theatre to play. Slightly less commonplace is the screening of an Oscar-winning film with a physically present percussionist and the soundtrack composer. On 15 October, just such a screening will take place in Prague’s movie theater Bio Oko.

In 2015, the movie Birdman picked up several golden Oscars at the American Academy Awards ceremony. Of the nine nominations, it turned in four, however, two people noticeably missed the tenth nomination: for the Best Score. The movie’s director, Mexican Alejandro González Iñárritu, and his compatriot, percussionist and jazz performer Antonio Sanchez, whose unique soundtrack consisting of solo percussion improvisations was disqualified by the jury, were upset about this. They were bothered by the fact that, in addition to his performances, several recordings of classical music by composers such as Mahler and Tchaikovsky were used in the film. There was no appeal, so the musician had to settle for the Grammy award “only”.

Sanchez, who is a well-known member of the Pat Metheny Trio jazz formation, created the acclaimed soundtrack in close collaboration with the meticulous director. They would gather in the studio before the actual shooting with the actors and actresses started, so the director could only give the drummer hints through words and gesticulations as to what would happen in the key scenes. In the final product, we watch an aging Hollywood actor (Michael Keaton) struggle to convince the audience and himself that his career was not over thirty years ago, while his frustration, fear, and confusion are underscored by Sánchez’s engaging, slightly neurotic interjections.

Over the ensuing years – the Academy Awards notwithstanding – Sanchez’s soundtrack has earned a certain iconic status among film and music fans alike. So, this year, 10 years after the film’s debut, the musician has decided to stage several special screenings in which he will perform the intricate and engaging solos on stage in person.

Nina and Štěpán Hon’s program will present the unique colorful combination of piano and vibraphone.

There is a big age difference between them, but they still work great together. The modern piano dates back to the 18th century, the vibraphone was built barely a century ago, in 1916. However, the mutual attunement after the arrival of the vibraphone on the music scene took some time, first in the realm of jazz. Even today, this instrumental combination is not very well established in the repertoire and musical practice.

Nina and Štěpán Honova address the lack of repertoire in two ways, by adapting existing repertoire, as in the case of Bach’s Toccata in E minor or in the works by Olivier Messiaen and Arvo Pärt. The other approach is to reach out to contemporary composers. In the case of the Music Is festival performance, this involves Daria Moiseeva Kukal. The program of their festival début concert will be accompanied by one of the children’s songs by Chick Corea, who knew the colorful possibilities of the vibraphone and piano duo all too well from his more than forty-year collaboration with vibraphonist Gary Burton

Space, dynamics, linearity, spirituality, or the mundane all come to mind when young performers think about the main themes of a concert. The blessed mundaneness of the children’s songs is complemented by Bach’s music and by Pärt’s Fratres, and although the individual works differ in their musical tools, their sound palette, and the time of their creation, taken as a whole, they offer a rich and varied journey through the rich and untouched world of piano and vibraphone harmonies.

​Swiss drummer and composer Arthur Hnatek is known for his collaborations with French trumpeter Erik Truffaz and Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan. The world of acoustic jazz was not quite enough for his creative appetite and today, he is also a sought-after DJ with several electronic albums and tracks to his credit.

One of these projects is 2020’s SWIMS, which he will be performing at Prague’s X10 Theatre on October 20. It’s a live set in which Hnatek showcases both sides of his creative personality. Through modulators and samplers, he reworks and varies tracks from the namesake SWIMS album, while simultaneously embarking on a whirlwind of rhythmic loops, polyrhythms, and virtuoso breaks over a classic drum set.

“If you want to know how a proficient jazz drummer might be able to define himself in the world of contemporary electronica, SWIMS might be something you’re looking for,” says Hnatek on his Bandcamp profile. These are words spoken for an album whose production qualities can be admired on many streaming platforms, but his confident statement fits even better for a live show in which Hnatek compliments his smooth mixes with the animalistic energy of an untethered yet extremely focused top-notch performer.