Festival „Nečekaná setkání“ 1998
Monday 5th October 8:30 PM, Dům pánů z Fanalu.
Nemožná misia
Najväčšie údery (Greatest Hits)
(…) The biggest surprise at the „Festival“ was the appearance of the „Small-town Chamber Orchestra Požoň sentimentál“ from Bratislava. In a programme entitled Mission impossible, this ensemble led by the young composer and flautist Marek Piaček presented an incredible hotchpotch of pieces written by themselves or dedicated to the group, and inspired by the style of old Bratislava street and coffee-house bands with bizarre arrangements from the great classics (Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in C Minor) to Schönberg and Orff, to the signature tunes of television serials (The „X“ Files).
Although such a programme might seem something like a student rag, it was underpinned by a relatively well thought-out concept of music based on domestic foundations and a return to the sheer pleasure of music-making. Moreover, their playful instrumental experiments lead the audience to „hear anew“, allowing works that are so well-established that they are no longer properly perceived to be returned from the level of „symbol“ to the level of „music“. Since a „new ear“ is a precondition for „new music“, this means that, paradoxically, Požoň Sentimentál is closer to the spirit of new music than the already conventionalised acoustic excesses of today… In the guise of enjoyment and musical humour something more serious and truly new is happening here. The Brno public sensed it, and gave the Požoň band a warm and enthusiastic reception. (…)
Martin Erdmann