Programme:

František Vincenc Kramář: Quartet for oboe, violin, viola and cello No. 1 C major

Bohuslav Martinů: Mazurka-Nocturne for oboe, double violin and cello

Toru Takemitsu: Entre-temps for oboe and string quartet

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: String quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Quartet for oboe and string in F major K370

Cast:

Vilém Veverka – oboe
Benda Quartet

František Kramář contributed to Vienna classicism at the turn of the 18. and 19. centuries with his enthusiasm, gentle lyricism without sentiment and a sense of musical humor. Bohuslav Martinů’s composition Mazurka-Nocturne will be joined by Benda Quartet, accompanied by one of the best contemporary oboist Vilém Veverka. The piece was created as a request by UNESCO in honor of the Fryderyk Chopin’s 100th anniversary. The Japanese self-taught composer Toru Takemitsu has become famous primarily for his film music (more than 90 movies, mainly by the director A. Kurosawa). “My music is like a garden with me as the gardener. Listening to it is like walking through the garden while perceiving and experiencing the changes of the light, patterns, and structure.” Mendelssohn and Mozart are divided by more than a century, yet they are quite similar. Both of them were versatile musicians (composers, conductors, pianists, violinists, and organists) as well as “child prodigies” – Mendelssohn was called “the second Mozart”. Their music is full of pure joy and essence.