Iva Bittová, BROLN

THE FOLK ROOTS OF LEOŠ JANÁČEK’S WORKS

Preview – OPERA EUROPA CONFERENCE

The folk roots of Leoš Janáček’s works
 
Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments (BROLN) 
 
Iva Bittová, Antonín Fait 
 
Moravian Folk Poetry (selection)
 
 
Leoš Janáček is known for his close relationship to his native region, folk culture and folk music. This treasure trove has also become the basis for our concert. In the first half there will be a performance by the Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments (BROLN) with a “taster” of Janáček’s journey through folk music and culture, which he regarded as being fundamental to the identity and wealth of a nation, as well as a source for his musical output. With the highest degree of authenticity, the Orchestra will perform several gems from Janáček’s collections of folk songs and dances. What will be even more interesting, however, is to observe the influence of Janáček’s work on today’s generation of folklorists, illustrated by the interpretations of soloists with a direct or even familial relationship to the musicians and singers from the turn of the 20th century who played or sang for Janáček when he was collecting his material. Authentic songs from areas such as Haná, Myjava and western Slovakia, Lachia, Horňácka and Wallachia will be performed.
In the second half of the concert Iva Bittová will be joined by her son, Antonín Fajt. Bittová
is an award-winning interpreter of folk music, in which she finds truth and purity, and which provides a deep well of inspiration. The programme will not be rigidly designed – for Iva Bittová, the final choice isn’t made until the day of the concert. Nevertheless, we can look forward to a selection of Moravian folk poetry, the cycle On an Overgrown Path and Bittová’s own compositions, as well as her introduction to the concert.
Pavel Petráněk

 

BROLN

The Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments (BROLN) was formed in 1952 with the aim of interpreting folk songs and folk instrumental music at a professional level, but in its classical form. Its set-up was based on traditional folk groups. The basis consisted of strings, cymbaloms and clarinets, to which were added as required characteristic folk instruments such as bagpipes, pipes and the Jew’s harp.

Iva Bittová

Iva Bittová was born in 1958 in Bruntál in northern Moravia in what was then Czechoslovakia – and nowadays the Czech Republic. Both of her parents were musicians. Her mother Ludmila was a pre-school teacher who spent most of her life with her family; her father Koloman Bitto – Bittová is the surname’s female form – was a musician strongly influenced by the land of his birth – southern Slovakia. His main instruments were string bass, cimbalom, guitar, and trumpet. This exceptional ability to play almost any instrument he laid his hands on, whether performing in classical or folk music styles, proved a major influence on his three daughters as they grew up. Both of Iva’s sisters – her older sister Ida and her younger sister Regina – are professional drama and music performers.

Iva attended drama pre-school, specializing in violin and ballet. In due course she gained admittance to the Music Conservatory in Brno, often called the Czech Republic’s second city. She graduated in drama and music. During her studies, Iva took part-time engagements as an actress and musician in Brno’s Divadlo Husa na provázku (Goose On A String Theater). She cites these engagements as some of the most formative and influential of her life.

Around this time she also featured as an actress in radio, TV and movie productions. Later on, while working full time in theater, she re-kindled her interest in playing violin, an instrument she had set aside in her younger years. After her father’s early death, she decided to follow in his professional footsteps as an instrumentalist and by composing her own music.

In 1982, Iva started studying with Professor Rudolf Šťastný, the primarius (first violin) of the Moravian String Quartet. In the intervening years the violin has become her life’s passion and the most inspiring musical instrument in her professional life. Iva firmly believes that, as playing the violin places extreme demands on musicians, the composer’s work depends utterly on commitment and diligence.

After living in the countryside near Brno for 17 years, Iva decided to relocate her personal and professional life to the United States. In the Summer of 2007, she settled amid the splendors of nature in upstate New York. Iva shares her Hudson Valley home with her younger son Antonín (born 1991) – also a dedicated musician and another chip off the Bitto block.

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