Agon Orchestra


The Plastic People of the Universe & Agon Orchestra
Five Fields I Wandered
 
A concert performance based upon the writings of Ladislav Klima
December 15, 2002, 8 pm, Roxy
October 14, 2003, 8 pm, Archa theatre
 
Theme: Vratislav Brabenec, music: Milan Hlavsa / Michal Nejtek, stage: Milan Čech, directed by: Arnošt Goldflam, conductor: Petr Kofroň.
 
Presented by the Association of New Music and Archa Theatre.
 
A unique revival of a Plastic People of the Universe concert that took place in 1979 on a farm in Nové Vísice u Chomutov, based upon and inspired by the writings of the Czech Philosopher and writer Ladislav Klima. Mejla Hlavsa composed the music and Vratislav Brabenec wrote the adapted lyrics.
 
The cornerstone of the concert in Roxy will be three newly arranged compositions of the songs Afterlife, Glorious Nemesis and I am the Absolute Will, as performed by the Plastic People and the new music ensemble Agon Orchestra. The audience will now have the exceptional opportunity to see - and hear - the legend of the Czech Underground play together with the topmost contemporary classical music group. Several surprises are also in store due to the newly incorporated theatrical elements, costumes, dialogue and special staging. Agon Orchestra has previous experience in collaborating with similarly related musical projects - their joint CD and concert with Filip Topol in 2001, presented by Archa Theatre and the Association for New Music, became one of the season's largest cultural events. The new performance, directed by Arnošt Goldflam, includes the adapted texts and lyrics of Vratislav Brabenec with new musical arrangements of Mejla Hlavsa's original musical score composed by Michal Nejtek.
 
In 1978, the 100th year anniversary of birth coincided with the 50th year anniversary of death of the Czech philosopher and writer Ladislav Klima. The Plastic People, who found the work of this extremely non-conformist author to be after their own hearts, and who had already made an instrumental version of Afterlife back in 1973, decided to organize a memorial concert. The concert finally took place in October 1979 at a country farmstead owned by a group of people from the Underground. The concert Afterlife was similar to the Plastic's earlier Passion Play, not only in the way it was organized (one live concert and a "studio" recording - this time, not distributed), but also in the creative concept: Hlavsa created an elaborate composition (2 vocals and 1 instrumental) to go with Brabenec's adaptation of Klima's text.
 
... And to be a manic dance and the only sudden turn
and the most profound madness and foolishness and sterility
and stench and to be nothing - and subsequently
to be unyielding composure and somber reason
and illuminating idea, the creator of new worlds
from the charmed singing blossoms manure
and from manure the blossoms grow
like its small daughter nature makes
Everything from Nothing, Nothing from Everything
I am the Absolute Will...

 
            Ladislav Klíma, Jsem Absolutní Vůle

Tickets - at sales points: 160,- Kč, at the door: 190,- Kč
Archa Theatre, Na Poříčí 26, Prague 1, tel.: 221 716 333, e-mail: ticket@archatheatre.cz, Mon.-Fri.: 10 am - 6 pm / Roxy - NoD, café, Dlouhá 33, Prague 1 and Ticketpro
 
Presented by the Association for New Music and Archa Theatre, with support from the Ministry of Culture of the ČR and the City of Prague. Corporate partner: Česká spořitelna.