The Clarinet Factory ensemble has its roots in classical music. After all, all its members had graduated from classical music studies and hitherto are dedicated to it individually or as members of prominent musical groups.
The history of the quartet itself (originally the Czech Clarinet Quartet) is in fact the history of communication between so called classical music and the surrounding world, and this is also the main content of the Polyphony and Meditation programme. In part it consists of the music from Renaissance and Baroque maestros and in part of their own improvisations and compositions. As a result during a concert, the Clarinet Factory will harmonise and at other times dramatically contrast between the present and past, or between classical music and the musical trends of new genres.
Already since its existence, the members of the ensemble have been active not only in the interpretation of original compositions for a clarinet quartet, but also in looking for and adapting musical pieces which were capable of releasing something new to the audience. In the Baroque period and also prior to this it had been a trend to adapt your own or borrowed compositions. That explains why it is possible that today you may find several versions of one composition distributed in archives throughout Europe. In some cases we do not know for sure who the original author was, and which instrument or voice should be used to perform the music. Polyphonic music, thanks to its universality and equality of voices, is unique material for the reinvention of this, nowadays rather rare, practice. The clarinet was invented at the end of the seventeen century. Thanks to its colourful and dynamic possibilities one is able to evoke rather originally the atmosphere of old times. While incorporating more voices, the Clarinet Factory allows themselves to be inspired by the meditative sound of old church organs, the expressivity of choir singers, and in other cases by phrasing brass ensembles. In a clarinet, you may hear the sounds of aristocratic trumpeters as well as old saloon gamba instrument players. The selection of pieces contains music the origin of which is very heterogeneous. We may find here vocal and instrumental forms, as well as temporal and church music.
Old music forms an axis of the Polyphony and Meditation programme. Compositions mainly from Echoes from a Stone adapted into an acoustic form are incorporated. In addition to the compositions of Gabrieli, Černohorský and Johann Sebastian Bach, compositions by the Clarinet Factory referring to the classical music B-A-C-H and Vltava can be heard, or Dobrá meditace (Good Meditation) which thanks to its controlled improvisation will never sound identical.. On the contrary, the Last Train to Bamako and Traincid find their roots in Africa, and Five Steps is influenced by the cold industrial voice of contemporary electronics.
A Review of Polyphony and Meditation:
1993 - The commencement of adaptations of music of Renaissance and Baroque maestros
1996 - The first photographs of the polyphony for Český rozhlas (Händel, Bach, Černohorský, Byrd) were carried out
2001 - The Echoes from a Stone project was started
2003 and 2004 - CD Polyphony recording
2004 - The acoustic version of compositions from the Echoes from a Stone project was created
2004 - The Premiere of the „Polyphony and Meditation" concert performance and following presentation at concerts throughout the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria and Portugal.
2006 - CD Polyphony published by Clarton
2006 - Live broadcast of „Polyphony and Meditation" from Studio 1 of Český rozhlas 3 Vltava in Prague
2007 - Concerts in the Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium
2007 - Autumn, concert for the Club of Chamber Music with Česká filharmonie in Prague.
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For MP 3 Demo click here.
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