Baroque Reminiscence - Jan Kučera
I believe that whoever tries to compose music or to express oneself through music should get to know, to understand and inevitably also to fall in love with all the great composers of the baroque era. Being a fundament of modern music, baroque music opens up the door to technical and metaphysical possibilities of music expression: through the balance between order imagination; through the natural cantability of the voices made apparent in the polyphonic structure; through the distinctive rhythm.
The title Baroque Reminiscence(s) in the Czech original the name is both singular and plural refers to all these phenomena. Even after all the centuries , Bach´s, Händel´s or Corelli´s music still affects us in a lively, energetic, modern way. And it was also my aim in this concertante piece for piccolo trumpet to achieve simile effects by means of stylized baroque elements.
The first movement i sof a brisk yet ceremonial nature, and is characterised by a distinctive recurrent fanfare motive. The brief slow movement should bring to mind the spiritual aspect of life that permeated the whole baroque era in all artistic directions: not in a sentimental way, but rather with the intention of returning our attention to the transcendental. The third movement is a virtuoso finale that ens with a short motive from the first movement.
The impulse for the composition of the piece came from Marek Zvolánek, the first trumpetist with Czech Radio Symphonic Orchestra, and it was commissioned by the Prague Chamber Orchestra without Conductor (PKO). The premiere, performed by the said soloist and orchestra, took place on 13th December 2011 at the Dvořák Hall of Rudolfinum as part of a PKO subscriber´s concert.
Other compositions by Jan Kučera published in Czech Radio:
Baroque Reminiscence / piano score
Benedicamus Domino
Birth
Contemplation
Dancing You Within
Full House
Joker
Suite Concertante
Parts only for hire at nakladatelstvi@rozhlas.cz