Carlo Jans – flute
Jitka Hosprová – viola
Kateřina Englichová – harp
Prague Chamber Orchestra, Antonín Hradil.
Production: ArcoDiva. Text: Č, A. Record date: 9/2006, Studio Domovina, Prague. Released: 2006. TT: 68:20. DDD. 1 CD ArcoDiva UP 0097-2 131 (distribution Classic).
The Czech Republic traditionally has a strong bond with Luxembourg. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is the resting place of the remains of Charles IV, one of the squares in Luxembourg City is named after Jan Palach, and the broadcast of Radio Luxembourg reached the Czech Republic even during the hardest totalitarian times. One of the results of the friendly relationships between the two countries is an album of compositions by Jindřich Feld, Zdeněk Lukáš and Viktor Kalabis, released with the support of the Luxembourg Embassy in Prague. The music is performed by violist Jitka Hosprová, harpist Kateřina Englichová and Luxembourg flautist Carlo Jans. The three musicians are nicely accompanied by the Prague Chamber Orchestra led by Antonín Hradil. Feld’s Musique Concertante for Flute, Viola, Harp and Strings was composed to order for the Embassy. It features references to the ballade by Guillaume de Machaut (who was the secretary of John of Bohemia, King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg) and Luxembourg folk songs. Tristium by Viktor Kalabis is a quiet remembrance of his friend’s futile struggle against a fatal disease. Not many instruments can express grief and acceptance better than viola.
Music for Harp and Strings by Zdeněk Lukáš may surprise some fans of his work. The neoclassicism in the style of Bohuslav Martinů, well-known from Lukáš’s choral compositions, has disappeared and an expressive style, sometimes moderated to a poetic flow, has come to prominence in this composition. The last piece on the album is Feld’s Sonata for Flute and String Orchestra, dedicated to the legendary J. P. Rampal. It is probably not necessary to introduce the two aforementioned ladies, as they have presented themselves to general public on various occasions. Jitka Hosprová has an obvious advantage over her male colleagues, which does not only lie in her play, and Kateřina Englichová plays a typical female instrument (which is, however, traditionally associated with King David). Nevertheless, their performance is not “womanish” at all, as it does not lack drive or the necessary expression. The three three-bladed wind mills on the front cover are a mild hyperbole symbolizing the concept of the album: The compositions by three important personalities of the Czech music scene performed by three soloists can indeed serve as a very specific source of energy for contemporary music.