Chamber music – double concert
Now played the Prague Epoque Quartet a „parade-piece“: the piano quintet in A Major, op. 81 by Antonin Dvorak. Several climaxes allied here to each other, because the members of the quartet were filled with the soul of the beauty of that music, with a never ending abundance of ideas and the well-balanced sounds. Such an abundance of enchanting played melodies reached the expectant auditors, the young artists addressed everybody individual in their music and in their pleasure of making that music, the auditors were able to open theirselves, to relax and to think: „How good, that I am here and that exist this so well played music!“ Happy days seemed to sound, brang memories on poetic moments, let dream and that glad atmosphere continued just to the rejoicing end. In this way such a great piece could not be heard for a long time.

Helmut Batliner

Equality – South Moravian day – 26.6. 2004

Concentus Moraviae tuned the strings on jazz, too
Bystřice pod Pernštejnem

The Epoque Quartet committed above all on a modern repertoire in a concert within the IX. international music festival Concentus Moraviae in 13 cities. In the knight hall of the castle Pernštejn that ensemble played compositions by contemporary, mainly Czech authors and demonstrated serious „modern“ and references on the classic. The first part of the concert was for the auditors of a more fastidious content, because in Fried´s Portrait for string quartet sounded high, slightly disharmonic and partly provoking tones, which were by the musicians performed brilliant and concentrated. Analogous to the rest of the evening however leaked out several elements of jazz to the music. In the Šofarot by Bodorova the quartet changed the playing on the instruments by performing some rythm, established by beating on these instruments. The feeling of relaxation came after the break with Wajsarova´s arrangement of the song Tuitytuityutyu and Jimmi Hendrix. There could be heard not only the traditional sound of a string quartet, but also elements of jazz and blues. In these moments the musicians began to „jam“ on their fragile instruments. To a kind of gaseousness the musicians came together with the double-bass player Robert Balzar, with whom they performed Contemplation by Jan Kučera, whereas Balzar played mainly pizzicato and he only rarely used his bow. The double-bass performed once again in Balzar´s melodious Alone, drawing its character again from the classic harmony. The concert than culminated with Full House by Kučera, in which musicians besides their strings and the wood of their instruments used their own voices, too. The nontraditional repertoire and the huge inventional ability of the Epoque Quartet and Balzar filed into the extraordinary experiences of the abundant seriál of concerts within the successful festival. Concentus Moraviae is entering into its third week and culminates with a concert of the Škampa Quartet and Iva Bittová on the 3rd of July in Hodonín. Today the festival continues in the castle of Mikulov with a concert of the Chamber Philharmonic Pardubice under the leadership of Jan Talich. The concert contents compositions by Bořkovec, Martinů and Voříšek

(spg)

Lidové noviny – 18.11. 2002

Havel listened to music for the NATO
PRAGUE – Extracts from the till this time top secret compositions by Michal Pavlíček, called Oslava svobody (celebration of freedom) sounded for the first time in the public. Yesterday afternoon the Epoque Quartet played Pavlíček´s music in the saloon bar of the coffee lounge Louvre. The whole compositzion by the Czech rock legend would have its premiere on Wednesday during a gala dinner, which will give Václav Havel on the Prague Castle…

Silvie Blechová

Hudební rozhledy (View of Music) 5.10. 01
Petar Zapletal

Epoque quartet, Jazz and Classic
An interview with the members of the Epoque Quartet

In the lunchroom on the basement floor of the Rudolfinum at the beginning of October the year 2001 talked two young musicians about the past, present and future of the chamber music ensemble, which rose in the year 1999 after the dissolution of the former Apollon Quartet. The viola player Vladimír Kroupa and the violoncello player Vít Petrášek do not want to remember much on the circumstances of the dissolution of the ultimate „Apollon“ team configuration, because of the fact, that they have more interest in the present, actual activities of their EPOQUE QUARTET, but they gave at least a short responde on my officious question:

Your chamber music ensemble rose like the Apollon Quartet in the year 1993. From that time dated extraordinary successes of the ensemble, which dwelled not only on the traditional concert repertoire, but like the only one in the Czech Republic on the interpretation of jazz compositions, too (Dizzy Gilepsie, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis). Why?

There were some disagreements in the character – we would say – artistic disagreements mainly in the orientation of the dramaturgy. It was aproblem of the definition of the ensemble. While I had with Martin Válek a concrete image of the pioneering character of the ensemble, which had to play equivalent music from the fields jazz and classic, the other two members of the former Apollon Quartet preferred a traditionally oriented ensemble, which had to present compositions of jazz only peripheral. At the beginning we came reasonably along with the dissolution, but than unfortunately everything was complicated concerning the problem of the registration of the name of the ensemble and in this way the whole thing got a dramatic touch…We agreed in thar way, too, as the todays Apollon Quartet would not compete the new ensemble, because it would play mainly classical music and we would orientate ourselves on a modern dramaturgy. At the end it came to the fact, that they devided their work into two equivalent parts (jazz and classic), too…

Was the world-known KRONOS QUARTET exemplar for You?

Surely it was KRONOS, too, but mainly the american TURTLE ISLAND, which plays only jazz compositions. From them we have several arrangements. Because of the fact, that we all are musicians with a „classical“ background, we want tzo be consequent and play both on the same level, classical music and jazz.

With the Apollon Quartet You already achieved several valued successes. Which ones You have added after the change of the name of the ensemble and after the change in its seizure?

We took part in the finale within the international competition for string quartets Reggio Emilia in Italy in the year 2001. In Prague we perform regularly within the cycle „Classic vs Jazz“ in the Suk hall of the Rudolfinum, we gave concerts within the cycle of the concert agency of the FOK (Symphonic Orchestra of the Capitol of Prague) in the Annen cloister, in June 2001 we performed in the Bohuslav Martinů hall and in fourteen concerts we performed during a concert tour to France, we were in Wales not far away from Cardiff, in December 1999 we played in Sarajevo, last year we took part in the Chopin festival in Mariánské lázně and in this year we will také part in a similar festival in Gamming (Austria).

Where You were able to play in the best way?

The Suk hall is for us a comfortable setting and that in the field of acoustic, too, but that only, if the hall is full. For a concert in the Liechtenstein palace we invited an orchestra, too and played for example compositions by Jan Kučera for string quartet and violoncello (the solo played Vít Petrášek). Remarkable are the experiences from Wales. That´s a multicultural festival, within which appear besides celtic folklore rock, theatre, dance and so on. Our participation in that festival brang us a very good echo – and we would travel there again. In Sarajevo the „political“ situation hot-blooded, but in the city could be seen 2,5 m snow… The Austrian Gamming is a small town in the Alps with a cloister.

Do You put Your mind only on playing with the quartet or on other musical activities, too?

The younger half of the ensemble (these are V. Klánský and V. Petrášek) still study: Klanský at the Academy of Arts in Prague, Petrášek, who was until June student of that Academy, too, travels to Switzerland to study with prof. Mark Jerie. The other two members do not have much time for any hobby. Martin Válek puts his mind on activities like a soloist with the Symphonic Orchestra of the Czech Broadcasting and with orchestras abroad, the „newly-made“ husband Vladimír Kroupa is responsible for the organisation of the ensemble and in addition he creates the web-presentation of the quartet. Petrášek reads a lot and in the last time he is going to the cinema.

In which way is Your time devided in studying and performing and how many concerts You give per year in average?

In the actual seizure of the ensemble the studying of new repertoire passes over – obviously because of the dispositions and qualities of each of the musicians- very flexible and quick. We ended the studies on the first string quartet by Smetana and prepare the opus 132, one of the older string quartets by Beethoven. Mostly we rehearse five days a week, but sometimes only four and elsewhere six days, too. Within one year we perform in average sixty to seventy concerts (including concerts abroad). Thereinto are not included for example concerts in the Spain synagogue, in which we play for foreign tourists always the same program with Barber´s Adagio and other „constant“ played pieces.

Are You dauntless concerning human problems?

No, we are not. That´s a problem which has every ensemble, if the musicians are together for a longer time. But this compensate moments of strain – for example on foreign tours. We know, that we are able to deal with negative influences.

Do You have an exclusive agency or recording company?

We do not have any exclusive representation by a recording company and so we do not have any representation by a concert agency – most problably because right now in the Czech Republic does not exist any larger concert agency or a manager, who is able to ensure regularly concerts abroad and who works at home like a kind of institution. Our main aim in the near future is, to find such an agency or manager.

Could You sustain by playing quartet?

We have to sustain and we sustain – at least right now it works. To be a „Free musician“ is indeed somwthing like a see-saw: sometimes on the top and sometimes underneath. We play right now together twoandahalf years. In that time things worked well and have a promising perspective, even if this kind of existence is not very easy.

In which way jazz thrills You, so that You have the willingness to break down the borders between the classical music and jazz?

Once upon a time we fastened on a recording of the mentioned ensemble TURTLE ISLAND. In his interpretation sounded compositions by Chick Corey and other jazz composres in great arrangements on such a high level, that they held our interest and so we tried to contact the American colleages. At the end we were successful. We got there arrangements and began to rehearse. The whole thing is about the fact, that playing jazz has to be on the same professional level like the interpretation of classical compositions. „My relation to jazz could be maybe another one than of the others…“ is adding the violoncellist Petrášek. „In the age of eleven, I began – thanks to my uncle, who was of great importance for my musical live – to hear jazz. I didn´t pursue Olymic and other groups, but only jazz. Together with Jan Kučera I began to play piano in a nonprofessional group – and I separated the violoncello from jazz. Then the mentioned arrangements impressed me in this way, too…“
Vladimír Kroupa agrees: „After the present experiences we are not only on the technical side, but on the side of feeling jazz, too, positively influenced by jazz. For a musician, who came later to the genre of jazz that means a large enrichment and opens the door to further experiences.“

What kind of acceptance find Your interpretations of jazz in the public?

All over the world we have th experience, that the acceptance is very high.

5.10. 01 prepared PETAR ZAPLETAL
Pro Hro

MILAN ŠEFL (2001)

The latest comeback of the group Stromboli, the first group, which was founded only for itselfs needs, is right now assessed by the double-album Stromboli Shutdown & Stromboli in Quartet. If we puzzle out this title, we find out, that within the opportunity of the new second (and last, too) publication of the disc Stromboli – Shutdown (from the year 1989) it came to a for Czech standards unique enterprise. On the second disc of the double album with reedited songs are tagged together ten songs by Pavlíček in a version for string quartet. But attention, not only some quartet: The Epoque Quartet, in which Martin Válek, son of the Chief conductor of the Symphonic Orchestra of the Czech Broadcasting, plays the first violin, earned in the classical scene the nickname „the Czech Kronos“, and even if the collation with the Americans is not equal (the Kronos quartet never concentrated itself only on distinctive cover versions of Hendrix or on „surfera“ by Dick Dále, but interpretated compositions by contemporary authors from all over the world), the virtuos on the guitar couldn´t choose better.

The boom hash-up classical music to rock could be for somebody boring. But in the arrangement for string quartet that´s something else and that not only because of the fact that such arrangements are not so frequent. In this kind of arrangement the music can get more feeling than in orchestral arrangements.