The two-part performing arts project (theatre, music and dance) in the Tugendhat Villa (listed by UNESCO as one of the world cultural heritage sites) pays homage to the Czech artists with tragic fate – composer Vítězslava Kaprálová (1915 – 1940) and poet Ivan Blatný (1919-1990).

 

BRNO, July 20–21 and September 14–15, 2015, in Villa TUGENDHAT

PRAGUE, July 28, 2015, in Theatre NoD

 

Creation, choreography, direction: Martin Dvořák

Performance: Irene Bauer, Kamila Valůšková, Martin Dvořák

Music: Vítězslava Kaprálová, Pavel Blatný, František Chaloupka, and Omar Rojas Ruiz

Costumes: Jindra Rychlá


Artistic Vision:

This innovative, multidisciplinary project is inspired by life anniversaries of two artists whose lives were not lived to their full potential as a result of the 20th-century events: the 100th birth anniversary and the 75th death anniversary of Vítězslava Kaprálová, and the 25th death anniversary of Ivan Blatný. Both grew up in artistic families with strong roots in the cultural life of Brno. 

Brno’s architectural jewel –Villa Tugendhat – which was built during the artists’ childhood, and which witnessed, both metaphorically and literally, the peaks of their youthful achievements, will become the stage for this project that is co-produced by ProART o.s. and the Museum of the City of Brno.  Subsequent shows will be presented also in Prague (Theatre NoD) and abroad.

ProART’s projects focus on linking various art disciplines. Over the eleven years of the dance company’s existence, it has produced over twenty projects that connect dance and theatre and initiate creative dialogue with artists of different disciplines and genres as part of the International ProART Festival. Last year, ProART introduced, in collaboration with Villa Tugendhat, a project that incorporates the music of Erik Satie and a text by J. P. Contamine de Latour. The upcoming project reflects the dialogue between classic theatre, music composition and the choreography of dance and motion, as well as the influence of Kaprálová’s music on new compositions by composers Omar Rojas Ruiz and František Chaloupka, and the influence of Blatný’s poetry on dramatic text by Martin Dvořák.

• Creative process

Creative process of the first, “Kaprálová”, part is shaped by the composer’s music.  Her piano compositions April preludes and Five Piano Pieces were considered for this presentation, together with Omar Rojas Ruiz’s new composition inspired by Kaprálová’s Military Sinfonietta. Strange Loves, a novel-autobiography by Jiří Mucha, was a source of inspiration for the creation of short dramatic episodes from Kaprálová’s life, as interpreted by an actress. Two dancers will reflect not only the music itself but also the text. The text will flow freely through the silence and the music. The artistic goal is to interconnect all three inspirational streams: music-text-motion, dance, expression of the interpreters. 

The scenic form, created by Martin Dvořák, does not centre on Kaprálová’s life experiences but rather her emotions connected with these experiences. It is also inspired by the emotions of her own music and its influence on Ruiz’s new composition as well as on the Dvořák’s text and the dramatic line represented by the actress and creative choreographic potential of the dancers. It can be understood as a circular connection of different art disciplines that communicate and respond to each other. 

The space of the Tugendhat Villa plays an important role. The “Kaprálová” part should take place by the onyx wall in the Glass Room, with its view overseeing Brno. The set will also utilize the interior design of the Villa – its furniture. 

The second, “Blatný”, part is centred on Blatný´s very poems – taking its inspiration from his poetry or from spoken word as a tool for sharing emotions and evocating images. 

The creative circle once again comprises three parts – word-music-motion – and their mutual inspiration and interaction. Movement responds to lyrics, music responds to the movement or lyrics.  The creative process relies on the movement improvisation inspired by the lyrics and vice versa. The music part will be represented to a minor extent by the compositions of the poet´s cousin, composer Pavel Blatný, who by coincidence already set to music Jiří Mucha’s Strange Loves. We see another connection between the two parts, by chance perhaps, yet very evident. František Chaloupka will set the text of Ivan Blatný to music. The dancers shall follow the text and then set the movement to or “alongside” with the music. The Blatný part will introduce several sections which will not describe the poet´s life chronologically but rather create new artistic testimonies on this topic. It is a new approach with the aim to attain the multidisciplinary art dialogue. This is an attempt to bring the creative processes of individual performing arts disciplines (theatre, dance, music) into a multidisciplinary domain in which each understands and each inspires the other. This is the very artistic vision and creative philosophy behind ProART’s projects. 

 The “Blatný” part will be presented in the room opposite to Glass Room – a room with the library and a desk which logically evoke the poet´s world. During his life, Blatný was and became known primarily as a poet of the interior, living his last years practically in absolute isolation. 

• Goal

The project’s aim is not to merely interpret the existing artwork of the composer and conductor Kaprálová and the poet Blatný. On the contrary, the aim is to reflect how their work continues to inspire contemporary artists to further the aforementioned domains created by the two artists’ legacy. The starting points of this creative process as exemplified by the project for one actress, two dancers, one musician and two composers include the piano works of Kaprálová and poetry collection of Blatný, and the latest novel by Martin Reiner – The Poet: Novel about Ivan Blatný – and Strange Loves by Jiří Mucha, Kaprálová´s husband. The project comprises of two parts, each of them dedicated to one of the two composers. 

 

TICKET RESERVATION AND SALE

Capacity is limited to 35 persons. Reservation required. 

Reserve your tickets at:
Petr Dvořák
petr.dvorak@tugendhat.eu
Phone: +420 515 511 012

Ticket price: 300 czk/person.

 

More info here:  http://www.proart-festival.cz/en/

Author photo: Kuba Jíra 

 

You can download a poster here.